At First Meeting
by RedPerception
Summary: What would things be like if Teresa and Patrick met under difference circumstances. Teresa is getting ready to start college while raising her three brothers, when she meets Patrick and his four year old daughter at the carnival. I know I'm not very good at summaries but please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright I know it's been done before but what would happen if things were different and Jane and Lisbon had met under different circumstances. **

**disclaimer:I don't own anything. **

I don't know how they talked me into it, but here I was pulling my beat up car into the grassy lot that surrounded the carnival. I would be starting my first year of college in a week and the boys thought that I wouldn't be allowed to have any fun anymore.

"Alright we have until the money runs out so chose what you do wisely." I warned locking the car behind us.

"Hey Tommy I heard that hot senior girl you've been crushing on is supposed to be here tonight." James teased his older brother.

"Are you talking about the girl dating the football player that graduated with me?" I questioned nearing the brightly colored tents.

"Yep." James laughed, watching his older brother blush.

"She is soo out of your league." I laughed along with James.

"I don't have a crush on her." Tommy argued, his face almost as red as the girls hair.

"Can we go on that ride?" Michael finally spoke up pointing to a spinning ride called the tilt a whirl.

"Sure thing kid." I nodded, and that's when I saw him for the first time, he was tall and good looking with curly blond hair and piercing blue eyes. On top of that he had to be the best-dressed person at the carnival in his three-piece suit. He was talking with a pretty blond girl while holding the hand of a small child. The child was pulling on his hand toward one of the nearest carnival games.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked her not letting the little girl get away.

"I'm going out tonight." The women answered watching the child squirm. "There was a guy here earlier who was kinda sweet."

"Your going out?" He questioned, looking a little disappointed.

"Not until after you're done of course. I'll watch her while your working." She reassured.

"Angela I take care of her all day everyday. You watch her for an hour and a half on work nights." He sighed, I thought I saw him glance in my direction but shook it off.

"Come on Reese lets go get tickets." Michael pulled me away from the conversation I was eavesdropping on.

"Give mommy a hug good bye." I instructed Charlie.

"Bye sweetie." Angela picked up her little girl and swung her around. "I'll see you later tonight." She called to both of us over her shoulder. I looked around for that cute brunette it only took a couple of seconds before finding her in line for the tilt a whirl with three younger boys.

"Daddy I want to go play the shooting game." Charlie whined going back to pulling on my hand.

"Don't you want to go on a ride?" I tried.

"Later daddy." She answered pulling me toward the game running into some people on the way. "Here you go." She smiled handing me the wallets she had grabbed from the people she ran into.

"Only three?" I teased pulling the cash out and pocketing it. Ninety dollars wasn't bad I thought to myself. "I counted five people."

"My hands are to small daddy." She frowned, before reaching into my pockets and pulling out the two wallets she had missed.

"You did a good job princess." I laughed taking the two wallets back from her and putting the fifty dollars with the rest in my vest pocket.

"That couple, right daddy." Charlie asked looking as a young couple holding hands and looking at the game in front of them.

"Come on Wayne that is the cutest stuffed bear in the world." The red headed girl begged.

"These games are impossible to win." Wayne argued, "There rigged to make sure you lose."

"Daddy can I play?" Charlie pouted making sure the couple saw.

"Alright just one try." I smiled pulling two dollars out of my vest. "How are you today sir?" I smiled at the vender letting my daughter hand him the money.

"Not bad how about yourself." He smiled in return. "Here you go little lady." He handed Charlie the water gun and explained the rules to her.

I stood back and watched as she won the game and picks out a spotted puppy as her prize.

"See Wayne it's not impossible to win." The girl grinned at my daughter hugging her puppy.

"Alright one try and that's it." Wayne groaned, pulling two dollars out of his wallet. He tried once and missed.

"Oh come on Wayne you want to be a cop and you can't even aim a water gun." His girlfriend teased.

"One more time then." Wayne frowned pulling out two more dollars. Again he missed.

"Here mister I can help you." Charlie offered walking forward with her puppy and twirling her skirt.

"No I got this." Wayne growled pulling out another two dollars. And again there is nothing.

"I can help you." Charlie offered again.

"No Charlotte baby, leave the poor man alone." I stepped in sensing the man's rising anger. He threw two more dollars down and was going for a forth time, and then a fifth.

"Come on Wayne I don't need the bear that badly." His girlfriend stepped in realizing he had just thrown ten dollars away.

I waited as the couple walked away. "Five dollars Jake." I smiled, "Plus the two dollars at the start."

"I know Patrick." He laughed, handing over the seven dollars, while Charlie went to give the puppy back to him.

"Go ahead and keep it Charlie." He smiled, "I got plenty to give away."

"Thank you Jake!" Charlie ran around the counter to give the man a hug.

"You earned it kid." He hugged her back, "You going to daddy's show tonight?" He asked.

"No, mommy is taking me out to dinner." She smiled skipping back to me.

"Well you lucky girl, I've been trying to get you mommy to take me out to dinner for years." Jake teased.

"Come on Charlie where to next?" I asked, as she jumped into my arms.

"Lets go find that girl you were looking for." She smiled at me, her blue eyes were like looking into a mirror.

"You really are my daughter aren't you?" I laughed, handing her the five dollars she earned at the game station.

"That's what people keep telling me." She grinned, kissing my cheek.

"You want to put that puppy in the trailer?" I wondered wandering around with her in my arms.

"Nope, Marty is coming with us." She smiled, "Can I get a corndog?"

"Marty?" I laughed.

"Yes his name is Marty." She grinned, "Can I have my corndog?"

"Lets go find you a corndog." I nodded, "in the meantime you need to tell me how you chose the name Marty." That's when I saw her, she was hanging out by the Farris wheel counting the tickets in her hand.

"You want to go ride the Farris wheel?" Charlie asked.

"Am I really that obvious?" I questioned.

"Not at all." She laughed, "I'm just learning from the master."

"You are the smartest four year old in the world." I kissed the top of her head. "Let's get you a corndog, and then we can go find daddy a girl." I knocked on the back of the food stand, no immediate answer. "Hey it's Patrick and I got a four year old back here in need of a corndog!" I called through the door.

"Do you have any patience?" A man in a baseball cap laughed opening the door.

"Daddy's in a hurry he wants to catch a girl." Charlie laughed.

"Oh daddy's going to go catch a girl is he?" The man laughed, "In that case I better go get that corndog. Does daddy want anything?"

"Grab me a soda Mikey." I smiled.

"As you wish." He nodded going back in and hurrying back out with a corndog and a soda. "Good luck with that girl it's been long enough."

"See you later Mikey." I shook my head.

"Look daddy she's still over by the Farris wheel." Charlie giggled.

"So you want to go on the Farris Wheel?" I asked.

"No, you want to go on the Farris Wheel." She teased.

Oh God he was walking this way with that little girl in his arms.

"Come on Teresa, we have enough tickets, lets get on the Farris Wheel." Michael called.

"But not if you want to ride something else later." I pointed out.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but over hear that you were short on tickets." The blond man had walked up behind me.

"What's it to you?" I snapped.

"Well I would like to suggest something to you." He responded without seeming phased at all by being snapped at.

"I'm listening." I crossed my arms.

"Well I can get you and your brothers on the ride without using your tickets, if you wouldn't mind sitting with me and my little friend here." He offered.

"And why would I sit with you?" I argued.

"You see Charlie is to small and they won't let her on the ride without two adults, because they think it's a safety hazard." He answered setting the little girl down.

"I guess maybe if it's for the little girl I'll ride with you." I shrugged, "As long as you're covering the price of the tickets."

"Trust me I got the tickets." He smiled, taking the little girls hand and leading the way. "You boys coming?" He called interrupting an argument they had been having amongst themselves. "Hey Kelly, you got two chairs available?" He asked the girl running the ride.

"For you Patrick I think I can arrange that." She smiled looking the boy up and down. "Where's Angela?" She asked him.

"On a date I would assume." He shrugged.

"And leaving you with little Charlie again." She smiled at the girl who was munching away on the corndog. "What a lucky little girl."

The boy let my brothers into the first one, and then helped me and then the little girl into the second one before getting in himself. "What's your name?" The little girl asked grinning all the while.

"Teresa." I answered, "What's yours?"

"Charlotte, but you can call me Charlie." She smiled, "And this is Patrick."

"How do you do?" Patrick shook my hand.

"You didn't give the girl any tickets?" I frowned after sitting in silence for a minute.

"That's true." He smiled, for some reason I had no doubt he could get whatever he wanted with that smile.

"How did you know they were my brothers?" I questioned.

"The same way you know she's my daughter." He grinned again, something about that grin was making my knees weak, it was a good thing I was sitting down already.

"I never said she was your daughter." I stated.

"No, but your observant." The girl chipped in, "Just like daddy, well not just like daddy, because no one is as good as daddy, but he says I'm really close." I couldn't help but smile at the little girl in front of me.

"They look like you." He concluded, after letting his daughter finish.

"She looks like you." I answered, we sat in silence a little longer, I was taking the opportunity to observe this man in front of me.

"No wedding ring." He stated, I looked up at him, "You're staring at my hand, I'm not married to her mother."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was staring." I apologized, I could feel my cheeks turning red, embarrassed by being caught in the act.

"Yes you did." He smiled, what was with that smile? No one should be able to look that good. "What did you learn?"

"Nothing." I confessed, I had learned absolutely nothing about him.

"I'm not surprised." His daughter cut in, "He doesn't like people getting to know him. He's scared." I watched as Patrick just smiled at his daughter. If she was telling the truth that was something I could relate to. The ride had come to an end and Patrick helped both his daughter and myself off of the ride.

"Well what ride next boys?" Patrick turned to my brothers.

"What do you mean?" I frowned stepping up to him.

"Well in an attempt to woo you I was going to pay for your brothers to go on as many rides as they wanted." He grinned, it was unsettling how honest he was being.

"Do you actually mean to pay or just talk up the person controlling the ride?" I questioned.

"I'm offended, you think I would flirt with one girl while trying to impress another." He faked offense.

"I don't even know you." I reminded him.

"Fair enough." He chuckled before turning his attention back to my brothers. "So which ride is it boys?"

And that was how I spent my afternoon. The more time I spent with him the more I couldn't help but enjoy myself. Somehow he never paid for a ride, or the food he got us, he even won me a purple teddy bear at one of the impossible games.

"Patrick, Charolette!" Someone called through the crowd, "There you are." It was the blond girl Patrick had been talking with earlier, she was dragging along an almost angry looking Asian boy. He graduated with me, but I had always stayed out of his way the rumor was he was part of a gang. "We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Angela." Patrick grinned, "Is it that time already?"

"It's 5:30 you got a half hour before starting time you better go get ready." Angela grinned back, looking from him to me. "Who are your friends?"

"This is Teresa and her brothers Tommy, James, and Michael." He smiled before turning to me, "This is Angela, Charlie's mother."

"So nice to meet you, Patrick doesn't usually have friends to introduce to me." Angela just kept smiling, "Oh right this is Kimball Cho." Patrick offered his hand but Cho just stared at him.

"Well Teresa I must go, I have to go to work." He smiled looking into my eyes, I couldn't help but stare back his eyes were so gorgeous, just like what I imagined the ocean to be. "I would like to see you again, if at all possible."

"I guess we could meet sometime." I shrugged trying to act causal.

"Tomorrow night, can we meet at the pizza place by the river?" He offered.

"Tomorrow night?" I repeated, well that was really soon.

"She's free." Tommy cut in.

"Yep she'll be there." James added.

"She'd love to see you tomorrow." Michael finished.

"I guess I'm free." I tried to act cool as my face turned three different colors of red, while Patrick just smiled. "What time?"

"Is eight okay?" He frowned, "I know it's late but I don't get off work until seven thirty tomorrow."

"Um no eight o'clock is fine I guess." I nodded, what was I saying eight o'clock was really late."

"That's great." Angela cut in, "Come on Charlie Daddy's got to get ready for work." I watched as Charlie hugged her father and then skipped off with her mother, Kimball just kind of following behind the two.

"Tomorrow night." Patrick smiled, kissing my hand, before turning to follow the other three away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright here's chapter 2, it makes me happy to know that so many people like my story so far, please continue to read and review. This chapter takes place the next night on Jane and Lisbon's first date. As always I own nothing. **

I had left Charlie with my friend Sam and was now waiting on a bench by the river, wondering if Teresa would even come. That's when I heard the footsteps behind me, "I didn't think you would come." I smiled.

"I almost didn't." She admitted, as I led her through the restaurant doors.

"You don't trust me?" I asked as we were immediately seated.

"I don't know you." She retorted accepting a menu from the waiter.

"I guess I'm just lucky you're taking the chance to get to know me." I grinned watching her eyes wander over the menu.

"What's your story?" She asked abruptly, looking up from the menu.

"Excuse me." I wondered, not letting the surprise show on my face.

"You're a good looking, charming young man with a beautiful daughter, no wedding ring, and apparently you always seem to know what to say." She started.

"You flatter me." I laughed, I was curious yet afraid to know where she was going with this.

"Tell me about your faults, there has to be something wrong with you." She was begging for some flaws that equaled her own.

"I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours." I proposed.

"I don't know." She hesitated as the waitress came back to take our order.

"I'll have a cup of tea and a diet coke for the lady." I started before Teresa could open her mouth. "And a large Hawaiian pizza." She handed over her menu and stared at me.

"How did you know that's what I wanted?" She questioned a little angrily.

"I'm observant." I shrugged, "You want to know my stories, you'll have to tell me yours."

"Alright fine, but there is nothing cheery about mine. It's no fairy tale." She gave in, "but you're going first."

"Deal." I nodded as the drinks were brought to our table. "My mother died of complications at childbirth, I never knew her." I started with a sip of tea. "My father moved me around a lot as a kid, Angela and I have been best friends since we were in diapers, when we were sixteen we made a big mistake and ended up changing diapers." I continued with another sip of tea. "When Charlie was born I realized how abusive my own father had been with all of the drinking and the gambling so I stepped away from him. I started working on my own, with Angela's help. Now as far as I know my father is in prison." I concluded, she sat in silence taking a sip of her diet coke.

"Why is he in prison?" She questioned after a couple minutes.

"He's a con man." I stated.

"You were sixteen?" She frowned.

"Yes." I nodded, she was clearly appalled by the idea of sixteen year olds having sex. "It's not as bad where I grew up." I tried to reassure her. "But it's your turn to talk."

"We did have a deal." She nodded, "My mom was killed by a drunk driver when I was eight. My dad started drinking and became abusive, then he drank himself to death a month after my eighteenth birthday. Leaving me to raise my three brothers." She finished, this was all information I could have guessed on my own but I felt better knowing she could tell me on her own.

"I'd saw we are two very damaged people." I laughed in an attempt to make her smile. She grinned and played with her golden cross necklace.

"How did you know what pizza I wanted?" She asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"I watched your eyes when you were reading the menu. You paused the longest over Hawaiian pizza." I explained.

"You watched my eyes?" She repeated.

"They are gorgeous eyes." I shrugged, causing her to blush.

"So sixteen." She stated again taking a sip from her soda.

"Yep." I laughed, she was going to obsess over that. "Let me guess you've never…" I didn't finish because she started shaking her head and blushing. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, I admire that." The pizza came before I could finish.

"How old are you?" She asked reaching for a slice of pizza.

"Twenty." I answered, she seemed a little surprised, "Do I not look it?"

"No, it's just you act older, you're drinking tea." She shrugged, "Do you live around here?" She questioned. I just shook my head. "Then how do you know about this place? What are you doing here?"

"I've come here for a week every summer." I stated.

"Who would want to come here for vacation?" She laughed.

"I'm not really on vacation." I admitted taking a sip of my tea.

"What do you mean?" She was going to keep questioning me, but she couldn't know not yet. She would look at me differently everyone did when they find out you work at a Carnival.

"You'll make a great cop?" I smiled changing the subject.

"How did you know I wanted to be a cop?" She frowned.

"I'm observant." I shrugged. "You're only eighteen aren't you?" I questioned.

"Yeah, why?" She continued to frown.

"You said your father died just after you turned eighteen. That's this year." I stated, "You don't seem to upset."

"He died this year, but I lost him a long time ago." She answered, at least she had a parent to have lost, I thought to myself. "So you know I want to be a cop, what job do you want?"

"Me, I don't really know or care as long as I can make enough money to take care of my daughter." I shrugged. "Hopefully I'll make enough money soon to be able to stop moving around."

"Where do you work that you have to keep moving around so much?" She wondered, we were back on the subject of a job, how did that happen?

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" I asked.

"I work until noon." She sighed frustrated that I hadn't answered her question.

"Would you like to meet me at the Carnival tomorrow?" I proposed.

"The Carnival?" She repeated.

"Yes, the Carnival, it's only in town for four more days." I nodded.

"So that means we have to spend everyday there?" She frowned.

"You don't like the Carnival." I grinned trying to get her to trust me.

"It's a waste of money, they charge to much for everything, they are basically stealing from you." She pointed out.

"That's true, but I promise you won't lose a dime if you come with me tomorrow." I answered pulling my wallet out to pay the bill.

"Tomorrow at one, but I want some answers." She stated, I led her out of the restaurant and we started walking by the river.

"Tomorrow, you will get your answers." I gave in reaching for her hand, and from there we made small talk walking along the river.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright here's chapter three Teresa comes back to the Carnival the day after their first date. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, and as usual I own nothing. **

How did he do that to me? I wondered restocking the shelves at the grocery store. I never tell anyone about my family and that's almost all we talked about last night. They even talked about her virginity, that was not usually first date conversation.

He had been so honest about his past as well. He had said it right last night they were both very damaged people. He wouldn't tell her about his job, which was kind of strange. Maybe he didn't have a job maybe that was why he moves around so much. No, if he didn't have a job he wouldn't be dressed up so nicely.

I'd never been so excited to hangout with anyone before. I couldn't wait until one.

"Charlie!" I called, I saw her running around with some of the other kids from the carnival.

"Daddy!" She cheered skipping away from her friends. "Are you going to play with Teresa this afternoon?" She asked jumping into my arms.

"I think I am, would you like to join us?" I wondered carrying her back into the trailer for lunch.

"Yep, what are we doing today?" She questioned as I set her at the table.

"We are going to be honest today, we are going to tell Teresa what we do to make money." I explained sitting down across from her. "Are you okay with that?" She nodded before reaching for her sippy cup.

"Daddy, mommy didn't come home last night." Charlie frowned.

"I noticed that." I nodded eating my own lunch. "I'm sure she's fine."

I sat and talked to my daughter for a half hour before cleaning up our dishes and heading back out of the trailer. Teresa and I had never decided where we were going to meet, but I knew where she would be waiting.

"I didn't think you were coming." She grinned turning to see Charlie and I walk up.

"I've been here for hours." I admitted kissing her cheek and watching her blush.

"Oh yeah right." She laughed, as I led her away from the Farris Wheel.

"We have been here for hours haven't we Charlie?" I went to my daughter for support.

"Yep we've been here all day." She smiled skipping ahead of us.

"You must really enjoy the carnival." She teased, I smiled watching Charlie ahead of us.

"Actually I hate it." I confessed looking at all the rides and people around us.

"If you hate it so much why are you always here?" She frowned, I took a deep breath, I hadn't expected us to come to this so quickly. I turned to look at her.

"I live here, it's where I was raised, it's the easiest way I know to make money." I hated having to be honest. I was a much better liar. I saw the surprise on her face and her race to cover it up.

"You live here?" She repeated I just nodded. "How do you make money?"

"I have an act as a psychic." I could have stopped there but as long as I was being honest. "I con people out of their money."

"You're a conman?" She stated, and again I just nodded. "How do you want me to react to that?"

"You asked me." I reminded, "I told the truth. I just want you to realize that it's how I was raised and it's the only way I know to make money to support my daughter." I tried, "I'm looking for a way out. I don't want Charlie to grow up the way I did."

"How much does your act make?" She questioned after a couple minutes of silence.

"Anywhere between seventy-five to a hundred people at a show per night at five dollars so about $375-$500 a night." I calculated.

"Have you thought about getting another job or going to school?" She tried.

"I've never been to school a day in my life, and to take the other jobs available to me I would have to take a pay cut." I started. "If I could find away to make this money and stay in one place I would take it."

"You've never been to school?" She stated shock spreading over her face.

"I said I moved around a lot. How was I supposed to go to school." I questioned.

"That explains a lot." She announced.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned, checking to make sure Charlie was still in sight.

"You're a conman, you live at a carnival, you have a four year old daughter your father's in prison." She started listing off.

"Wait a minute, whatever complaint you have with me. You leave my father out of it, I am nothing like him." I turned to her. "What would you say if I told you that you're going to be a drunk because your father was a drunk?"

"That's not fair!" She shouted.

"Either is comparing me to my father." I returned. "If your going to be mad at me be mad at me for my faults. Yes I live in a trailer at a traveling carnival, yes I have never been to school, yes I have a four year old daughter, and yes I lie to people for money."

She didn't appear to have an immediate response to that. I watched her try and come up with an argument. "I don't know how I feel about this." She finally admitted.

"I think I understand." I nodded, "You want to enforce the law in a couple years, while I obviously break the laws."

"It's not just that." She shook her head. "You live at a carnival and have a four year old daughter."

"You knew about my daughter when you agreed to meet me for pizza." I pointed out, "And I'm not going to be living here forever."

"Patrick I need some time to think." She frowned.

"I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm asking you to give me a chance." I tried.

"I need sometime to think." She repeated.

"You know where to find me." I nodded, kissing her cheek and walking toward my daughter. I don't know what I expected, I really hoped she was different. I had seen it happen to so many people here, people just don't want to be associated with someone from the carnival.

Charlie had taken off to the trailer, where I found her sitting on her bed playing with a deck of cards. "Pick a card daddy." She smiled, I smiled back pulling a card from the center of the deck. "Is it the three of hearts?" She asked.

"Good job." I grinned showing her the card.

"No luck with Teresa." She frowned.

"She needs to think." I nodded sitting down on the bed next to her.

"That's okay, you got me." She giggled crawling onto my lap and trying to tickle me.

"That's right we always have each other." I laughed falling backward to let her keep tickling me, "I have my little princess."

I hadn't left the carnival. I've been sitting in my car for the past hour. What was the big deal I had been on one date? He was a conman with a four-year-old daughter. I'm only eighteen I don't need this I'm already raising three boys as it is.

But I really liked him though, and his daughter was so sweet. No I was being ridiculous, I barely knew him. Why was his smile all I could think of? Or his past, his childhood had been just as screwed up as hers had been.

Looking at the clock she realized it was almost six, she should be going home. Then why was she getting out of her car, why was she walking back toward the noises of the carnival? Why was she waiting in line to go watch his act?

"Have you seen this before?" the women in front of her asked her friend.

"No, but I've heard nothing but good things." The friend smiled.

"I was here last night, this guy is so good and he is so good looking." The women started. I tried to tune it out, these women had no idea it was all a con. When I got to the front of the line I paid the five dollars and snuck into a seat in the back.

In the first five minutes I saw why all of these people were so willing to repeatedly throw their money away. Patrick was so comfortable on the stage, and the lights only highlighted his good looks. All of his 'readings' were incredibly accurate and if I didn't know better I might have believed him. I couldn't stay this only made me more confused. I got up and walked out with a half hour left in the show.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright here's chapter 4 it took me a little longer to write than I thought it would but I'm pretty proud of it. So please tell me what you think, and as usual I own nothing. **

"How did you find me?" She frowned as I examined the canned food she was shelving with a grin. "You know what never mind, what are you doing here?"

"You left something at the show last night." I answered, she turned to face me the shock written all over her face.

"I didn't leave anything." She frowned, "I didn't go."

"I'm observant remember." I laughed, "But if you don't want it I'll keep it." I waved the five-dollar bill in front of her face. If I thought she was shocked before this was nothing. "You shouldn't have to pay to see me."

"Your giving me my money back?" She questioned holding the bill in front of her.

"That is what I was trying to do." I laughed.

"Look I'm sorry." She started.

"You shouldn't be." I answered, "You reacted just as I expected you to."

What was he doing here? How did he know where I work? And why was he giving me my money back? Was this how conmen worked?

"What do you mean I acted the way you expected me to?" I frowned, did he think he knew enough about me to know how I would react.

"It's just the way people react," He shrugged, "At least mentally sound people. If someone says their okay with you working at a Carnival and stealing people's money they probably aren't someone you want to spend a lot of time with."

"Why'd you come here?" I questioned, "I haven't made up my mind about you yet." He was making it really hard not to like him, I mean just his smile made me want to forget what he did for a living, that was probably why he was so good at his job.

"I understand I just wanted to give you your money back." He nodded setting his hand on one of the stacks of cans. "You know where I'll be when you do decide." As he turned to go I noticed he had placed an origami frog on the stack of cans. It was a cute gesturer, but it didn't change anything.

Then all of a sudden the paper frog sprang from the stack of cans into my lap. I couldn't help but smile, "Patrick!" I called after him, he hadn't even made it to the end of the aisle. "I get off work at noon." I watched the smile spread across his face.

"I'll be here." He nodded, slipping out of the aisle. I waited until I heard the bell ring at the front door to allow myself a smile. What was this man doing to me to make me act this way?

I knew what I was getting into was probably the stupidest thing I had ever done in my life yet here I was smiling and even giggling about it. For the second day in a row it took forever for my shift to end, and when it did I couldn't have been happier.

Right outside the back door of the grocery store Patrick was sitting on one of the benches used for smoke breaks. He could not have looked more out of place sitting in a dirty back alley in a three-piece suit, and yet he looked completely at ease. "I was thinking of a walk in the park." He grinned picking up the picnic basket sitting at his feet.

"That sounds nice." I didn't trust myself to say more, because at that moment with that smile on his face I feared I would follow him to the ends of the earth.

"So I figured the grocery store, but where's your second job?" He asked causally walking past the stores and out of the main street area toward the park.

"The coffee shop on the other side of the street, but it's closed for a week because the owners are out of town. Otherwise I would be working there from four to ten every night." I explained, answering far more than the question.

"Well I guess that means my timing in town is pretty lucky otherwise we would have no time to be together." He nodded, had he been holding my hand this whole time?

"So you're a thief… a liar… and a conman." I stated.

"That's a little redundant." He answered, as we entered the park.

"Excuse me?" I frowned.

"Well a conman is a liar and a thief so in a way you just repeated yourself." He laughed, he was staring at me again, watching for my reaction I assume.

"But you don't deny it." I questioned.

"I don't deny it." He nodded, "Teresa I will try my very hardest never to lie to you." Why did he say things like that, things that just sounded so perfect? I have never met anyone who talks the way he does.

"I know I shouldn't believe you, I don't even know you yet for some reason I really want you to be telling the truth." I admitted, he led me off the path and under the shade of a giant oak tree. I stood and watched as he pulled a blanket out of the basket and placed neatly on the ground for us to sit on. Next he pulled out the meal, was that really spaghetti, where did he get spaghetti on such short notice. The spaghetti was followed by a loaf of bread, a salad dish with my choice of three dressings.

Then he pulled out two wine glasses, "Don't worry I didn't pack alcohol," he laughed was my face really that readable. "Grape or Apple?" He added pulling out two bottle of sparkling cider.

"Apple." I smiled, this had to be the sweetest date I had ever been on. Was this even a date I mean we hadn't been talking the night before? Who was I kidding of course this was a date. He slowly poured each of us a glass before serving two plates of food.

"And which dressing would you like?" He questioned showing me the three options.

"Ranch." I shrugged, it was the only one I had even heard of. I mean who would use balsamic vinaigrette? He just smiled and handed me the bottle along with my plate. "Where did you get all this with two hours notice?"

"Well after I left your grocery store I went to the one across the street and picked everything up then went back to my trailer and made it." He admitted.

"You did not make this." I frowned taking a bite of the spaghetti, I had never tasted spaghetti like this before.

"Well I didn't make the bread of the salad that's true, I only have limited space in the trailer, but the spaghetti and the desert I did make." He smiled.

"Desert?" I questioned, looking around the blanket, before noticing there was still a tin in the picnic basket.

"Yes, so don't ruin your appetite on the spaghetti." He laughed, watching me eat. I suddenly became very self-conscious, I was sitting here shoveling spaghetti into my mouth still wearing my work uniform. "You look beautiful." He smiled between bites of food, maybe he really was a mind reader.

"You said the carnival in only in town until the end of the week." I frowned as I handed him my plate to put back in the picnic basket. He nodded pulling out another set of plates and the tin with desert in it.

"You better like this because Charlie helped and if I have to go back and tell her you didn't like it I may not be allowed to see you ever again." He announced opening the tin to reveal a batch of brownies covered in powdered sugar and multi-colored sprinkles.

"They look delicious." I laughed picturing his little girl stirring the bowl of mix and then drowning the finished brownies with sprinkles. "But if these are all here she didn't get to taste her work." I frowned.

"Don't tell her mother but she had two brownies before I left." He smiled, "And besides this is only half the batch the other is sitting on the table back in the trailer." He refilled our glasses of cider before serving up the brownies.

"So the end of the week." I frowned finishing the last bite of brownie, again he just nodded cleaning up our dirty plates and the empty food containers. "That's two days away."

"Two and a half, today's not over yet don't sell us short." He corrected moving the picnic basket out from in between us.

"Two and a half days." I repeated, he scooted closer and put his arm around me. "Why are we doing this?"

"There you are Patrick!" Someone had come up the path.

"Angela?" He frowned sitting up a little straighter but not moving away from me.

"Hello Teresa." She smiled as if she hadn't seen me before, was Patrick actually blushing.

"I thought you were watching Charlie." He frowned, looking around for his daughter.

"She's over at the playground with Kimball." She shrugged, she left her daughter with a gang member I frowned, what type of mother was she. "Sorry to interrupt your date, but I was hoping you could take Charlie from here, Kimball got us tickets to a basketball game in the city."

"Angela, I asked you to watch her for one afternoon." Patrick ran his fingers through his hair. "Who's going to watch her while I'm working?"

"Teresa can." Angela volunteered me before I realized what happened.

"I don't think Teresa wants to spend any extra time at the Carnival." Patrick snapped at Angela.

"I don't blame her, but it's just an hour and a half and then you can take Charlie to see a movie or something." Angela tried.

"We can take her for the afternoon, but please be back in time to watch her tonight." Patrick sighed.

"Don't be silly Patrick, the game starts a half hour before you do." Angela laughed, "Sam can watch her."

"I'll watch her." I volunteered myself, how hard could one little girl be compared to three boys I thought to myself. "I'll just stop by my house and make sure the boys are alright and then I can watch Charlie."

"Are you sure?" Patrick questioned.

"Of course she's sure." Angela smiled, "She wants to get to know you better, and what easier way than through your daughter."

Angela and Teresa both waited as I packed up the blanket, I poured the remaining cider into our glasses to finish on our way to the playground.

"Always the romantic." Angela teased, as I slid my hand into Teresa's.

"I guess we can't say the same for you." I retorted, I saw Teresa smirk out of the corner of my eye.

"Ouch." Angela faked taking offense, "I don't know what your talking about, Kimball has been nothing but a gentlemen all week."

"Yeah I hear gang members are like that." I answered, I could see him up ahead pushing Charlie on the swing. I had only met him once but he had seemed nice enough, closed off, but nice enough.

"Yeah well at least I'm not dating a cop." She laughed, "No offense Teresa."

"I'm not a cop." Teresa rushed to answer, "I'm getting ready to start college."

"You found yourself an educated women." Angela smiled, "You know what Patrick I'm proud of you. I didn't think you would ever date anyone after Charlie was born. Now you found someone with a bright future who apparently doesn't care that you steal people money every night."

"Angela!" I turned to her, forgetting for a second that I was still holding Teresa's hand, "That's enough." I finished in a whisper.

"Sorry Patty didn't mean to hit a nerve." She apologized, "But Teresa you did find a good man right here." Teresa didn't say anything but remained silent through out the walk to the playground.

"Daddy!" Charlie shouted flinging herself from the swing and rushing into my arms. "Hi Teresa." She smiled after I swung her around a couple times.

"Hi Charlie." Teresa smiled back at my little girl. "Do you mind if I watch you this evening while your daddy's working?"

"Not at all." She giggled before covering her mouth to whisper in my ear, "See I told you daddy, Teresa wouldn't care she really likes you."

"You were right." I smiled kissing her forehead. "Now say good bye to Mommy and Kimball cause they are going out again tonight." Charlie leaped out of my arms and ran to her mother.

"Bye mommy." Charlie sang as Angela kissed her forehead. Next Charlie ran into a very unsuspecting Kimball's arms. "Bye Kimball." He didn't say anything but a smile started to form on his face.

Teresa, Charlie, and I stood back and watched as Angela and Kimball walked off together. "I suppose you want to stay at the playground for a little longer." I turned to my daughter, who just nodded. "Go ahead, Teresa and I have drinks to finish." Charlie ran toward the sliding board while I lead Teresa to a nearby bench. "Did my ears deceive me or did Teresa Lisbon agree to spend the evening at the Carnival?" I laughed, taking a sip of my cider.

"I couldn't leave that poor little girl by herself while her daddy stole people's money." She smiled back, and at the same time I saw Angela come rushing back to our bench.

"Patrick!" She screamed. "Kimball is missing his wallet, you wouldn't know anything about that would you?" She was on top of me now.

"My hands were full the whole time." I argued, "between Teresa's hand, the picnic basket, my glass of cider, and Charlie how would I have been able to take it?" I frowned, when it dawned on me, "Charlie come here." I called, and my daughter skipped from the play ground to where we were sitting. "What's in your jacket pocket?"

"Nothing." She smiled up at me, but her hands deceived her when she went to stick them in her pockets.

"Oh really?" I stated, setting my glass down and tickling her with my left hand while swiping a beat up wallet out of her pocket with my right hand. "You know the rules, not from people we know."

"I thought that if he didn't have money mommy couldn't go." Charlie tried, looking at her mother with big blue eyes.

"You are just like your father." She chuckled as I handed the wallet over. "You got your hands full Teresa." Angela kissed her daughter good bye and then hurried back in the direction she had come from.

"Daddy come play with me." Charlie called running back toward the playground. I looked to Teresa who sat her cup down next to mine and grabbed my hand. The two of us ran to join Charlie on the playground.

"Did you really teach your toddler to pick pocket?" She whispered as we slid down the slide to where Charlie was waiting at the bottom.

"Now honestly what toddler doesn't know how to pick pocket, I just helped her hone her skills to wallets." I shrugged, as my feet hit the ground at the bottom of the slide.

"Daddy help me with the monkey bars." Charlie called from the other side of the playground. I hurried around to hold her up so she could pretend to do the monkey bars while never actually leaving my arms. "Teresa can you do the monkey bars?" Charlie asked once I set her down.

"It's been a little while." Teresa smiled.

"Do you need help?" I offered with a grin.

"I'll try it on my own first, how about that?" She shut me down.

"Then daddy has to do the monkey bars." Charlie cheered, as we watched Teresa swing from one bar to the next.

"Oh all right." I laughed, "Hold this." I handed Charlie my jacket and my vest.

"This just got serious." Teresa teased taking the jacket and vest from Charlie, "Are you going to need any help?"

"I think I got this." I laughed, reaching for the first bar and feeling my shirt coming un-tucked. I stopped and turned around, I couldn't help but show off a little. I did the first half backwards before turning myself around halfway through.

"Oh so your part of the acrobats now to." Teresa smiled, watching me tuck my shirt back in.

"Not quite." I chuckled, "But someone has to set up my tent and stage."

"I guess that could keep someone in pretty decent shape." She answered, handing me my jacket and vest, which I preceded to throw next to the picnic basket.

We spent the next two hours playing on the playground before I caught a glimpse of Teresa's watch. "Four o'clock," I frowned, "You wanted to run home to your brothers before my show right."

"Yeah, I need to make sure they have something for dinner." She frowned, looking at her own watch.

"Charlie time to go." I called, going to pick up the picnic basket, my jacket and vest, and the two not quite empty cups of cider.

"Just a little bit longer?" She pouted coming down the slide.

"Not today." I shook my head, "Hold Teresa's hand please, we have a couple streets to cross."

"My cars back at the grocery store." Teresa stated.

"I figured," I nodded, "we'll go back there and pick it up first."

"How'd you get to the grocery store?" She frowned.

"I walked." I shrugged, "The only car I have is the trailer."

"I guess that makes sense." She nodded, wrapping her hand around Charlie's. It was a pity my hands were full. In total it took us maybe twenty minutes to walk to the car and then drive to her house. "You guys can come in if you would like, it's kind of a mess, but this shouldn't take long." Charlie and I just nodded and followed her onto the house.

"Reese's home!" The youngest one yelled, Michael I think his name was. "She brought the guy that hit on her at the carnival!"

"Reese brought a guy home?" The middle one ran down the stairs, James I think.

"I didn't here that right." The oldest, Tommy, smirked walking out of what appeared to be the living room.

"We aren't staying." Teresa announced, "I just came home to make sure that you guys had something to eat for dinner."

"Yea we got food, you can go spend your night with 'Mr. I'll Pay For Your Brother's Rides to Impress You.'" Tommy continued to smirk. I felt slightly out of place holding Charlie in the doorway, but that was something I was able to cover up with ease.

"Bye boys." Teresa gave each of her brothers a hug, "I'll be back later tonight."

"Nice to see you again." I added, holding the door open for Teresa.

Patrick had led me to his trailer changed his clothes, kissed Charlie and I good-bye and then rushed off to his show. I really had no idea what to do with Charlie, but luckily she seemed pretty content at entertaining herself with a coloring book.

The meeting with Angela had rattled me a little bit this afternoon, the way she talked made everything between Patrick and I sound so permanent. What did she think was going on between Patrick and I? I'm eighteen I'm not ready for a permanent relationship, I have three brothers to raise, he has a daughter.

"Teresa are you okay?" Charlie had looked up from her coloring.

"Yeah I'm fine sweetie." I smiled.

"No you're not." She shook her head putting her crayons down on the table and coming over to join me on her bed. "You're thinking about daddy aren't you?"

"Yes I guess I am." I sighed.

"He really likes you." She smiled, "But I think he knows you aren't ready for commitment."

"How did you know that's what I was thinking about?" I frowned at the blond girl sitting on my lap.

"I'm observant." She pointed to her self the same way her dad did. I couldn't help but laugh. "He knows your not ready, and I think he knows it will hurt him, but he is willing to wait for you."

"Did he say that?" I questioned.

"He didn't have to." She answered.

"But you guys are leaving in two days." I whispered.

"We don't have to leave." Charlie announced, "Daddy always tells me that some day we are going to get out of this trailer."

How did I respond to that, was Patrick really willing to leave for me? Of course he was that was something he said on our first date, he wanted to stop moving around. Did I want him to leave for me? That was the real question.

"Teresa I'm hungry, can you make me some mac and cheese?" Charlie interrupted my thoughts.

"I think I can handle that." I smiled, moving her off my lap so I could get up. "Where does daddy keep the ingredients?"

"The packets are on the top shelf, and the water is in the sink, and the pea's are in the freezer." Charlie instructed.

"Peas?" I stopped turning to look at her.

"Yep it's yummy, and it's a vegetable, so daddy has to let me eat them." She smiled.

"But in Mac and cheese?" I frowned.

"Yep it's yummy, you can try some to." She smiled, reaching for something under her pillow. While I made the mac and cheese she sat and played with a deck of cards.

"Charlie can you clean your coloring book and crayons up so we can eat at the table?" I instructed. She hopped up and stuck the cards back under her pillow before putting away her coloring supplies.

"Can we eat outside?" She asked after her things were put away. "There are picnic tables and everything."

" I don't see why not." I shrugged. I set down the bowl of mac and cheese and peas, handed Charlie two paper plates two forks and two empty cups. Then I carried the mac and cheese and the milk out myself. I let her lead the way to the nearest picnic table. "Why'd you want to eat outside?" I wondered serving up her dinner and pouring her a glass of milk.

"Because from here I can see daddy's show." She smiled, "Mommy helped me move the table the first night we were here."

"Do you like watching your daddy's show?" I asked taking a bite of my dinner.

"Yeah, but he doesn't like me watching his show because he's afraid I'll turn out like him." The little girl frowned but took a bite of her food and looked through the crack in the tent and it was all better again.

"What do you like about your daddy's show?" I wondered, "You know he's not a real psychic don't you?"

"Yeah I know, but he makes the people in the audience happy and he seems to have fun doing it." The little girl confided.

"Your daddy wants to leave the Carnival, do you want to?" I asked. It was interesting getting to know this little girl, I had never met any four year old quite this smart.

"Not really…well kind of… I don't know." She puzzled it over in her head while playing with the food on her plate. "I like it here and I have friends here and daddy kind of lets me do what I want when I want, if I'm good that is. But only some of the friends here are my age, and I don't like living in such a small house and moving all of the time. Then there are sometimes when bad things happen and the police officers come and question everybody."

"What bad things?" I frowned.

"Sometime people drink to much and start fights, or someone gets caught lying or taking things." She shrugged it off like it was something all four year old should deal with. "But never daddy, because daddy doesn't drink and he's to good to get caught lying and stealing."

"What do the police ask?" I wondered.

"I don't know, they never ask me, because I'm to little. They asked one of the big kids once though." She remembered, "The police wanted the kid to tell on someone, but we don't tell on anyone here, that's kind of like one of our rules." We ate in silence for a while I sat next to her and watched Patrick through the crack in the tent, she was right he did look like he was having fun. "So do you like the peas?"

"You know what I do actually." I laughed, "it adds something to it doesn't it."

"Color." Charlie giggled, taking one last sip of her milk.

"How about we go inside, I don't think you want daddy to catch you spying on him." I sighed walking the paper plates and plastic silverware to a nearby garbage can.

"He already knows." She answered grabbing the empty bowl, and leaving the milk for me.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"He saw us a little bit after we sat down." She replied holding the trailer door for me.

"He knows about the crack in the tent?" I questioned cleaning out the bowl and the cups in the sink, while Charlie went back to her deck of cards. "What are you doing with those?" I questioned after watching her for a while.

"Pick a card." She grinned, so I drew one out of the deck. "Look at it but don't tell me." She instructed. "Is it the five of hearts?"

"How did you do that?" I frowned looking from the girl to the card in my hand.

"Daddy taught me." She giggled sticking the card back in the deck. "Pick another card." So I listened. "Is it the six of spades?" I smiled and showed her the card. "Can we go for three in a row?" I drew a third card. "The King of diamonds."

"Three times in a row." I jumped, how had I not heard Patrick come in. "You're getting pretty good at that." He picked up his daughter. "You were good for Teresa weren't you princess."

"She was excellent." I answered, putting my card back in her deck.

"So you got to taste the macaroni and pea's." He laughed, "How did you like it."

"She was right then, you did see us sitting out there." I answered.

"I did." He nodded, changing his jacket, "So how about ice cream." He offered pulling a ten out of the brief case he had brought in with him. I watched as he pocketed the ten and then took out the rest of his earnings and locked away in a safe under the bed.

"Ice cream sounds perfect." I smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright here's chapter 5 I hate to say it but I actually hated writing this chapter, and know how bad that sounds but it had to be written, but don't worry this isn't the end of the story I promise for a happy ending eventually. So please read and review, as always I own nothing. **

I had spent the last two days with him, and now it was Sunday morning. When I drove up to the fair grounds all of the rides were already being taken apart to move on to the next city. I saw a group of children playing in the nearby field I saw a blond girl that could have been Charlie but she was to far away to tell.

I walked past all of the people cleaning up, I got strange looks from most of them, clearly civilians weren't supposed to be here now. "Hey we're closed get out." A bigger man yelled, moving around from behind a piece of metal.

"Oh, I'm sorry I…"

"She's looking for me Pete." Patrick had walked up behind me. I turned to see he had gotten rid of his three-piece suit and had on nothing but a pair of ripped jeans. I couldn't help but watch the sweat run down his incredibly tan and muscled chest. "I was waiting for you to show up." He smiled, pulling me toward him and planting a kiss on my lips. "Oh sorry I'm all sweaty and gross."

"No it's all right." I assured him letting him lead me back to his trailer. "It looks so different." I frowned, the tent had been taken down and had been packed with the stage in a mobile unit behind the trailer. All that was left was some trampled grass.

"Yeah." He nodded, letting me into the trailer, much to my dismay he reached for a towel and a tshirt, he wiped off the sweat and then pulled the tshirt on. "Teresa can I ask you something?" He whispered sitting me down on his bed.

"Anything." I returned, letting me take my hand in his own.

"Can you be my reason to leave?" He questioned looking into my eyes. "Can you be my reason to stay here?"

"Patrick." I frowned, I was afraid of this question, because I didn't know the answer anymore than he did.

"No, Angela left last night after the show. She left with Kimball and she's not coming back." He told me, "I want to leave to, she got her wish why can't I have mine."

"Patrick, how would we live? I'm starting school on Monday and working two jobs, while raising three brothers. You're raising your daughter, and would be giving up your only means of making money." I answered.

"I have some money saved, and I can make money easily." He argued back.

"You will not be pick-pocketing for a living." I warned.

"I could work a normal job." He tried again.

"Patrick, it's just not reasonable." It was killing me to say this, and I could see it in his eyes he was hurting.

"I'll be back here in one year." He frowned, "In one year if you still care about me we can try again." I just nodded, I didn't want to see him go, but it didn't make since for him to stay.

He pulled me close and we laid together on the bed in his trailer, I could feel the tears running down my face, and when I looked to him there were tears in his eyes as well. Everything logical said we shouldn't be together, but then again over the past week I learned he had a very different definition of logical. "You promise you'll come back in a year?"

"I'll be here." He whispered, "And you'll know where to find me." We laid there for what felt like hours just holding each other.

"Daddy!" Charlie came bursting through the door and jumped onto the bed, "Oh hi Teresa."

"What's the matter princess?" He questioned wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Pete says if we're going we better make sure everything's packed." Charlie frowned, "We are going aren't we?" she looked from Patrick's face to mine.

"Yeah, we're going." Patrick frowned.

"Teresa didn't want us to stay?" Charlie questioned, looking at me with watery eyes. Not her to, why was this so hard.

"Of course I want you to stay but we need to get some things figured out first." I frowned, my voice was gravely from the crying.

"Next year we are going to stay with Teresa okay." Patrick came to my rescue holding his daughter in between us. "Right now we don't have enough money to take care of everybody." How did he sound so calm after crying with me for the past twenty minutes?

We waited another ten minutes before we had no choice but to get up we could hear engines starting out side. He walked me to out of the trailer and to my car. "This isn't good bye." He whispered placing another gentle kiss on my lips, I couldn't let him pull away I ran my hand through his perfect blond hair. I had never kissed anyone like this before.

It wasn't until Charlie started giggling that we forced ourselves to separate. "This isn't good bye." He repeated, more for himself than anything else. I leaned over and gave Charlie a hug and kiss good bye, before watching then race to their trailer, to make sure they weren't left behind.

I stood and watched as their trailer joined the train of semi's and carnival rides leaving the fair ground. Why had I told them to leave? I sat in my car and cried until I couldn't cry anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's chapter six, I know the last chapter was a little sad, but at least in my opinion it didn't really make sense for them to get together that easily, there were just to many other factors. But please as always read and review. And as usual I own nothing. **

How was I supposed to do this? I had spent all day setting up the tent and stage and hadn't seen her anywhere. How was I supposed to work when all I could think about was her? It had been one year and Teresa was nowhere to be seen.

Time to go fishing I sighed buttoning my suit coat and putting on a smile.

"Good evening and thank you for coming out tonight, lets get started." I walked onto the stage and scanned the crowd. "You ma'am does the letter 'H' mean anything to you?" I questioned a woman in the front row.

"My son Henry." She grinned, subconsciously touching her necklace.

"He gave that necklace to you didn't he," I smiled stopping for a second to add emphasis on the act. "For mothers day."

"Yes, yes he did." She grinned back.

"You don't need to worry about him tonight, he and his friends are just watching scary movies." I announced, "It's his friends birthday isn't it?"

"Yes I was so worried they would be out playing pranks on our neighbors." She confessed.

"You don't need to worry, your father is assuring me that Henry is fine." I finished moving to the next one, when I saw her. Teresa had snuck into the back row of seats.

I went to wait outside his trailer but I felt too much like a groupie so headed to the Farris Wheel instead. "You came." He smiled.

"I almost didn't." repeating the same things from our first date a year ago.

"This is yours." He smiled handing me six dollars, "We already had this discussion you should never have to pay to see me."

"I see the show is going well." I smiled motioning to the fliers with his face plastered to it that littered the fairgrounds. He could never know that I had hid one on in my jacket pocket.

"I could sign one for you." He teased, "Maybe the one in your pocket."

"There is nothing in my pocket." I denied.

"Your body deceives you." He laughed, "You turned that side of your body away from me, to try and hide it from me." He explained.

"I did no such thing." I argued. He leaned forward and kissed me, it was so much better than what I had remembered, what I had dreamed about all year. "You're a thief…" he kissed me again, "and a liar…" he kissed me again, "and a conman." He kissed me again.

"And you are redundant." He smiled, kissing me again.

"You don't deny it." I stopped.

"Not to you." He watched my reactions.

"Just making sure." I smiled kissing him again.

"How are your brothers?" He asked pulling away and leading me around the carnival.

"A handful, especially Tommy." I smiled, thinking back to my brothers throwing each other around the living room because someone was picking on someone else.

"You didn't tell them you were coming to see me." He pointed out.

"I told them it didn't work out between us, and you had gone back to your home." I confessed, figuring he would tell if I tried lying again.

"Embarrassed to be seen dating a Carnie." He laughed, I thought I saw some hurt in his eyes but it was gone instantly. It made me feel a little guilty.

"No." I started to defend.

"Calm down Teresa, you're not the first and you won't be the last." He smiled, I guess maybe that was something you got used to living in the outskirts of society. "I would be surprised if you weren't at least a little embarrassed." I couldn't help but smile, "besides I'm embarrassed to be seen dating you." He announced.

"What!?" I stopped myself from shouting, "Why?"

"You think people around here like being seen with cops." He laughed.

"I'm not a cop yet." I tried to defend.

"And I won't be a Carnie forever." He reminded.


	7. Chapter 7

**And here's chapter seven, I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review, and as always I own nothing. **

Last night had been perfect we walked around the carnival talking about everything and nothing at the same time. We didn't go on any of the rides or play any of the games we just walked around even after the rides closed down for the night we just talked. The clock chimed twelve o'clock I was off I grinned, timing out and heading for the back door.

I had barely made it out the door when something small and blond jumped into my arms. "Teresa!" The little girl cheered.

"Some one missed seeing you last night." Patrick smiled, openly admiring his daughter in my arms.

"Oh my god Charlie you've gotten so big." I announced spinning the girl around.

"I'm five now." She cheered wrapping her little arms around my neck.

"You're such a big girl." I assured her.

"Don't tell daddy, he doesn't want me to grow up." She giggled, I looked to Patrick who could only chuckle at what his daughter said. "Teresa make daddy take us to lunch I'm hungry." She changed subjects without a second thought.

"Daddy take us to lunch." I teased Patrick, who immediately came and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"That I can handle." He smiled, something felt really right about the two of us walking down the street with Charlie in my arms.

"How long will the carnival be here?" I questioned during lunch.

"Ten days." He answered watching his daughter, "Charlie please eat your chicken strips don't play with them."

"But daddy it's more fun." Charlie giggled.

"You said you were hungry, please eat the food." Patrick sighed. An memory flashed through my head, it was me in Charlie's position when both my parents were alive. My dad had given me the same orders. "You okay?" Patrick worried sitting up straighter.

"I'm fine." I answered wiping my eyes and getting back to the meal in front of me. He didn't push it, which I was grateful for.

After lunch the first day Patrick took Charlie and I to a movie, some animated movie that Charlie had really wanted to see. Had kids movies always been so inappropriate, I frowned thinking of all of the jokes that had gone over the children's head. After the movie I offered to watch Charlie while Patrick worked. He never referred to it as his act or his show it was always his work. Then after the show he took Charlie and I out for ice cream.

The second day Patrick picked me up after work and with Charlie in tow we went downtown shopping for the afternoon. As it turns out Charlie had never been shopping for anything but necessities and with my help she learned she could get Patrick to buy her whatever she asked for. Then just like the first night I watched Charlie while Patrick worked.

The third day I didn't have to work, but it was Sunday so I still had to take my brothers to eleven o'clock mass. So I met him at the carnival after I ate lunch with my brothers. When he hugged me he jacketed my keys and drove Charlie and I to an aquarium, which was actually kind of romantic. We got to feed a dolphin and a stingray the downside was that it was so far away that we only got to stay for a couple hours before he had to get back for work.

The fourth day he was waiting for me after work, but this time Charlie was nowhere to be seen. "I figured her friends were starting to miss her." He smiled, noticing my concern.

"And your friends they don't miss you?" I frowned.

"Don't really have any." He shrugged, "I was hoping we could spend the day just the two of us."

"Sorry I only put up with you, it's your daughter that I actually enjoy spending time with." I teased.

"That's usually the case." He shrugged pulling me close. "Come on I'm driving." I reached in my pocket for my keys, but they were gone again. Damn him, he chuckled taking my hand in his. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and when he pulled into a parking garage I was more than a little confused. He went around back and pulled out a picnic basket.

"Do I want to know how you got that in there?" I frowned.

"Probably not." He laughed locking his arm in mine.

"Tell me." I insisted, he pulled a paper clip out of his pocket.

"You have an old car, it was easy to pick the lock on the trunk." He answered.

"I feel like I should be worried about that." He took my keys out of my pocket and picked the lock on my car, I tried to be mad at him I really did, but then he smiled.

"Normal people would be." He smiled, and to seconds later I had a blindfold over my eyes and he started walking me out of the parking garage. I could hear water and birds and then there was a creaking under my feet. When he finally took my blindfold off we were standing on a sailboat and he had already started untying it from the dock. It was so sweet, we had a picnic in the middle of the lake and he taught me how to sail. Around four he docked the boat and drove back so I could watch Charlie while he worked.

The fifth day Patrick and Charlie were waiting by my car, to go on what Charlie was now calling our daily adventures. Today it was the children's museum, Charlie claimed it was payback for leaving her behind yesterday, but believe it or not it was actually pretty fun. Patrick was just like a kid playing with all of the gadgets, and we were all disappointed when it was time to go home. It had gotten to be a pattern when we get back he would change, kiss us both good bye and I would watch Charlie while he worked.

The sixth day I hid my car keys in my boot so that he couldn't pick my pockets this time. He must have known something was different because he smiled before he even pulled me close. "You don't trust me."

"It's my turn to pick the adventure." I pulled the keys out of my boot and lifted Charlie into my backseat. Only the next thing I knew my keys were gone, and Charlie was throwing them to her father. "Now you're ganging up on me, that doesn't seem fair."

"You know what your right." He handed the keys over, "You obviously planned something for today." I had decided to take them to a football game, I had learned that Patrick wasn't much into sports but I really wanted to go to the game and I knew that Charlie would enjoy the crowd. As it turned out Patrick didn't spend much time watching the game. He sat with his arm around me while I had Charlie on my lap and spent the game explaining everything that was going on in the game to her. He just watched us like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and for him maybe it was.

"What are you staring at?" I finally asked him part way through the fourth quarter.

"Perfection." He whispered kissing my cheek, causing Charlie to look up expectantly, and therefore she received a kiss on her cheek as well. When the game ended we went back home so that he could work and I could spend time with Charlie.

The seventh day I got off early and went to wait by my car, I only had to wait about ten minutes before I saw the two of them skipping down the street. He was skipping down the street, I laughed. "You better not have been laughing at me." He smiled, helping Charlie into the back seat.

"Laughing at you never." I smirked, "Where to today?"

"The Zoo!" Charlie giggled from the back seat.

"I can handle that." I nodded, starting the car. Everything was going great at the zoo Charlie was walking in between us dragging us from one animal to the next. We were at the penguin exhibit when I noticed someone bump into Patrick. I didn't see that, I didn't see Patrick's hand slide in and out of the guy's pocket.

"Daddy, I want a penguin." Charlie declared as we walked away from the exhibit.

"Where are we going to keep a penguin?" he laughed.

"He can live with Daisy." She giggled.

"Daisy would step on the penguin." Patrick frowned, "and I don't think the penguin would like living with a big elephant."

"Can I have a popsicle then?" She asked.

"From a penguin to a popsicle." Patrick chuckled. "Alright, get three." He instructed handing her the money and watching her run off toward the stand ten feet away. "Are you just going to stay silent the rest of the day?" He turned.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I shrugged.

"Yes you do, you've had that look on your face since he ran into me." He argued.

"You took his wallet." I stated, he just nodded, "Having you been doing it all day?"

"Yes." He frowned.

"Have you been doing it all week?" I worried, I hadn't even considered the possibility until he admitted to doing it all day.

"No." I shook his head.

"Why should I believe you, why only today?" I hissed.

"I promised I would try never to lie to you." He started, "and today because I was short on spending money and this is the perfect atmosphere to get away with it."

"How are you short on money, you make $600 a day?" I really wanted to shout.

"Most of that money gets put away, I have to pay for food and clothes, and the gas for that trailer is expensive, and if I ever want to leave I have to have money saved up." He explained, his voice was perfectly calm, while all I wanted to do was shout at him.

"Here you go!" Charlie interrupted handing each of us a green Popsicle. "I leave for two minutes and you two are fighting." She giggled. Patrick smiled and lifted her into his arms.

"It's part of how I make a living." He frowned, "That doesn't mean I'm proud of it." We kept the rest of the day civil, and I tried to be angry at him, and I felt like I kept my eyes on his hands all day, he ran into a couple people on occasion I saw his hand twitch, but it never left his pocket. When we got back he changed and kissed us both good bye before going to work, and we didn't say anything else about the day.

The eighth day he was waiting for me when I got off of work, with Charlie nowhere to be seen.

"I only have two tickets, and I figured you would enjoy jazz more than Charlie would." He smiled, "And it's down at the park so we can walk."

"Must have been a productive morning, for you to get so much extra spending money." I snapped, looking at the tickets he held in front of me.

"It was actually, spoiled little kids with rich parents make the best marks. They'll spend hours playing those games." He just smiled.

"Why on earth would you tell me that, and don't give me your, 'I'll never lie to you.' Bullshit." I shouted.

"Well, one, I was being honest and two, I wanted to see how you would react." He answered still holding the tickets in front of me.

"My desire to walk to my car and drive off is being stopped only by my desire to go to that concert." I sighed, he held out a single ticket toward me. "Yeah and you'll just show up and sit by me anyway."

"I would." He nodded, putting the tickets back into his vest pocket. "Teresa why are you so mad at me?"

I started to answer but stopped, it was obvious wasn't it I had caught him stealing from someone. Well, wait, what was he doing every night while I watched his daughter. I thought I had already accepted that he stole from people. "Why do you think?" I snapped trying to give myself a little longer to think.

"You really want to know what I think." He questioned.

"Yes." I answered, no I really didn't, I wanted to be mad at him.

"Two reasons." He started, "first you're mad at yourself for not catching me earlier. Which you shouldn't be mad about by the way I'm the best at what I do."

"Gee not overly confident." I smirked, but he may have been on to something. "What's your second theory?"

"You're afraid." He shrugged taking my hand. "You're afraid for the same reasons I'm afraid. You realize you really care about me, maybe even love me, but you know what's going to happen in a couple days. You're trying to find reasons that it would be a bad idea for me to stay, you're afraid of the idea of commitment."

"What did you mean, 'the same reasons you were afraid'" I frowned letting him lead me down the road.

"I tried to get you to react, I tried to get mad at you so if you tell me to leave it wouldn't hurt as much." He confessed.

"You tried to make me mad at you, hoping to be able to stay." I wondered. "I don't know where you logic comes from." He just chuckled, and I couldn't be mad at him, because he was right. I was afraid he would leave in a few days unless I told him to stay. He had said love, did I love him?


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright here's chapter eight I struggled a long time with the ending there was going to be more but in the end this is what I decided on so please review and I'll have the next chapter ready as soon as possible. As usual I own nothing.**

I had specifically asked for day nine and ten off of work so that I could sleep in a little longer and then spend the rest of the day with Patrick and Charlie. I tried to rollover and check my alarm clock but there was something in my way.

"Good morning." Patrick whispered pulling me close.

"Good morning." I smiled, wait a minute. "What are you doing here?" I tried to sit up in bed.

"Charlie and I made breakfast for you and your brothers." He whispered, pulling me back down.

"How did you get in here?" I wondered giving in and laying my head on his chest.

"I climbed the tree out side with Charlie on my back and the two of us slide through your window." He teased, if I hadn't been half asleep I would have slapped him.

"How did you really get in here?" I asked.

"I knocked on the door and your brothers let me in." He laughed.

"Oh my God, my brothers, what did you tell my brothers?" I panicked, jumping out of bed only afterwards did I realize my pajamas consisted of an oversized football jersey.

"I told them that we had been hanging out together a lot this week and I wanted to surprise you with breakfast." He smiled as I rushed around my room trying to find a clean pair of pants. "You look adorable." He chuckled I blushed and pulled on a pair of jeans.

"They let you in just like that?" I questioned, watching him get up and sit at the end of my bed.

"Of course not I had to teach them how to pick pocket and when that didn't work I hypnotized them." He answered.

"You said you wouldn't lie to me." I came and sat on his lap.

"I did, didn't I." He smiled, "I apologize." And then he kissed my forehead.

"How did you talk them in to letting you in?" I asked again.

"I just wouldn't let them say no, and I brought food, something I learned is teenage boys like food." He smiled.

"You didn't say we were going out did you?" I worried, he placed his hand on the side of my head forcing me to lay it against his chest.

"I did not, but I think they might suspect something." He chuckled.

"What do you mean," I couldn't bring myself to lift my head from his chest.

"Umm might be something to do with the two of us being alone in your bedroom for an extend period of time." I knew he was smiling without ever looking up at his face. "That reminds me our breakfast is getting cold." He didn't wait for me to get up he simply wrapped his arms underneath me and carried me bride style to the kitchen. Where Charlie was showing off her card skills to my brothers, while the food was sitting in the oven set on low.

I honestly never thought I'd never see three teenage boys so captivated by a card trick. They were fully focused on the five year old and the deck of cards, that was until Patrick carried me in.

"Reese's got a boyfriend, Reese's got a boyfriend!" James started chanting causing Michael to join in. Only Tommy remained staring Patrick down. I blushed as Patrick placed me in an open seat and started serving five plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon seemly oblivious to the chanting and the stares. Only he was him and I knew he wasn't oblivious.

"You didn't tell us you were dating anyone." Tommy frowned.

"Well I didn't know I was supposed to run everything by you." I retorted.

"I would have liked to know that my sister was out every night until past ten with a guy." Tommy answered, "A guy with a kid no less. A guy who apparently just left you last summer."

"He didn't leave me," I frowned staring at the food in front of me. "I told him to go."

"Oh so now after dumping him your getting back together with him." Tommy snapped.

"I didn't dump him." I whispered. "It's complicated."

"Look Tommy, I travel a lot for work and I offered to stay, but your sister didn't think it was very responsible of me to just leave my job after having only spent a week together." Patrick cut in. "And when I came back to town for work I went and visited your sister and we decided to start again."

"And your not traveling for work anymore." Tommy questioned.

"That depends entirely on what your sister wants." Patrick admitted looking to me. "But she doesn't have to make that decision right now." He added, trying to comfort me, it didn't work because now the only thing I could think about was tomorrow and I would have to make that decision.

"Are you going to pay for us to go on carnival rides again?" Michael questioned.

"Michael your fourteen years old and you still want to ride those crappy rides." I cut in, I had been hoping to keep the boys away from the carnival being as Patrick's face was plastered all over those fliers. That and the fact that I knew Patrick preferred to avoid that place when we were together.

"Not at all." Michael smiled.

"You know it wasn't as good this year." Patrick cut in, "I took Charlie earlier in the week and there weren't as many rides."

"Yeah it was boring and daddy wouldn't let me play any of the games." Charlie pouted, I knew I should be disturbed by how well the two of them lied, why wasn't I?

"That doesn't mean we can't go." Michael pouted.

"That's true, but I planned a special day for your sister and I, so you'll have to count us out." He smiled at my brothers, "If you do go be careful there are a lot of people there you are just going to try and steal your money."

"Oh and you would know." I laughed.

"Actually yes I've had some first hand experience with that." He responded with a grin.

"Oh I know you do." I couldn't help but smile back. The boys looked from my face to Patrick's trying to figure out exactly what they were missing, while Charlie just sat there and giggled.

After breakfast Patrick cleaned up so that I could go and get properly dressed for whatever event he had planned, after Tommy's initial confrontation breakfast had gone really well, Patrick had managed to win my brothers over.

"What's the plan for the day?" I wondered coming down the stairs.

"That, my dear is a surprise," He smiled pulling me close, "we do however have a stop to make first."

"Patrick, did you walk all the way here?" I worried, as he wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I did." He nodded.

"With Charlie?" I frowned.

"I carried her, yes." He nodded again, kissing my nose.

"So we're taking my car." I sighed, trying my hardest to sound agitated.

"We could walk." He shrugged, pulling away and closing my dishwasher. "Charlie come on, Teresa wants to walk all the way there!" He called, Charlie came running from the living room where my brothers had been keeping her busy.

"We're walking?!" Charlie declared, her big blue eyes looking up at me.

"Of course not." I lifted her into my arms, "I was just trying to make your daddy feel guilty."

"Good luck." She giggled, wrapping her little arms around my neck.

"Will you tell me where we're going?" I tried, she just shook her head. "Alright in that case we better be off."

"I'll even let you drive." He smiled, I just threw him a dirty look.

"Bye boys, I'll be back later tonight." I called.

"Bye Reese, Bye Patrick, Bye Charlie." I heard all of the boys yell from the living room.

As it turned out our first stop was the grocery store, go figure my day off he takes me to work. He sent me in with the instruction of buying any already made food for us to eat. Then from the grocery store we walked to the park where we walked around until lunch and then ate under the same oak tree we had eaten under a year ago.

"You're leaving tomorrow." I frowned lying in his arms while Charlie chased a butterfly around our picnic.

"Am I?" He frowned, looking over at me.

"I don't know." I confessed.

"Charlie, not to far away." He called as his daughter followed the butterfly back toward the path.

"Can I go to the playground now?" She frowned letting the butterfly get away.

"Oh alright." He sighed, moving slightly to get his arm out from under me to pack up the wrappers of our lunch to throw away. I didn't want to get up, I would have been happy if the two of us could have just laid there forever with Charlie chasing butterflies.

I slowly pulled myself up and walked hand in hand with Patrick as Charlie sprinted to the playground. It was just like our last day a year ago, Patrick chased Charlie and I around the playground showing off on the monkey bars, and then Charlie got all excited showing me how she could make it all the way across on her own now.

However just like last time we had to leave far to early so he could get to work, and just like it had been for the past week he changed his clothes kissed Charlie and I good bye and rushed out the door. Then as our usual arrangement I made Charlie dinner and we watched the first half of Patrick's show through the crack in the tent.

When Patrick came back he had this evil grin on his face. "What's wrong with you?" I smiled back.

"Nothing, I just recognized some people in the crowd today." He shrugged it off and pulled me close.

"Ice cream!" Charlie set her coloring set down and jumping onto the bed.

"Ice cream again?" Patrick grinned, pulling away and picking up his daughter. Charlie looked to me for support.

"I don't know ice cream does sound pretty good." I smiled, he moved Charlie so she was in one arm and then pulled me next to him with his open arm.

"Well ice cream it is." He gave in, with a grin, he already had the money in his pocket, he already had been planning to go. "Even if it is for the third time this week."


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is chapter nine, this was another difficult chapter to write, but I'll have the next chapter posted as soon as I can. Please tell me what you think and as always I own nothing. **

When I showed up at the carnival the next day Patrick was locking up the mobile unit. It was just as I had feared he was in nothing but his ripped jeans, how was I supposed to make a logical serious decision when he was sweating in front of me with that gorgeous tan and chiseled body. "Hey." He smiled pulling me in for a kiss.

"Patrick." I started, pulling away.

"One more year." He frowned pulling me back to him, it killed him to say that, and it was killing me to hear it.

"Is one year going to change anything?" I worried.

"Two years?" He asked.

"Five." I whispered.

"Five?" He questioned, his eyes were begging me to say no. "That's to long."

"No, by then I'll have a real job and my brothers will be old enough to take care of themselves." I reasoned. "It also gives you a chance to make enough money to get out."

"Teresa, I can't take five years without you." He begged, I really hated having to be the voice of reason, especially when he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"We're to young." I frowned, "We've only honestly spent two weeks together."

"But you have been the only girl on my mind for a year." He was going to try to charm me, I couldn't let it happen.

"That's not true." I answered.

"But it is." He kissed my forehead.

"What about your daughter? I tried to make light of the conversation.

"I'm pretty sure it would be illegal if I thought about her the way I think about you." He squeezed me tight, Damn it, I cursed he was really good at this.

"Patrick, I've really thought about it." I argued.

"I can't change your mind." He frowned, and I just shook my head. "Well I'll be back in a year if you change your mind."

I followed him back to the trailer where he didn't even bother to clean up or put a shirt on he just went and laid on his bed, where I immediately joined him and I started kissing him, like I would never see him again.

"Teresa." He stopped, "You don't have to…"

"I want you." I couldn't bring myself to finish it with 'to be my first.'

"I love you Teresa." I whispered after, while the two of us lay in each other's arms.

"Don't say that Patrick, cause then I can't let you go." She laid her head against my chest.

"I don't want to go." I smiled, kissing the top of her head. "And I do love you."

"Patrick," She stopped, and I knew what she wanted to say, "I…I think I love you to."

"You think." I chuckled, holding her close.

"If I say it…I won't be able to let you go." She whispered.

"If I have to go I would like to hear you say it." I changed tactics.

"Your daughter might come in at any minute." She completely changed the topic.

"Does that mean you want to get up?" I questioned.

"No," She answered.

"But…" I sighed.

"But we have to." She kisses me before rolling over to get up. I followed her lead looking for where my jeans had gotten tossed. "What time is it?" She asked accepting the soda I handed her.

"Eleven maybe, we're going to have to be going soon, if that's still what you want." I answered leading her over to the table.

"Patrick don't try and change my mind." She frowned.


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright this is a super short chapter, I apologize, but I hope it holds you over until I can get the next chapter finished. Please tell me what you think. As usual I own nothing. **

The first summer I found myself sitting in the back of the tent watching his act. I know he saw me, but I left before the show ended so he couldn't talk to me. I couldn't face him I had to keep telling myself five years was a good idea. Why did I even go, what was it about this man.

The second summer I found myself walking around the fair early in the day I spotted him and Charlie tricking some couple into playing one of those stupid games until they were out of money. Did he really lift the wallet out of the ladies purse? I should do something, confront him, tell the lady. Why couldn't I? He caught my eye and smiled, I just shook my head and walked away.

The third summer I couldn't even get out of my car. I sat there for a half an hour before driving home. The house was empty when I got there, so I turned on the TV thinking that watching some mindless reality show will get this man out of my head. How was I to know? He had done it, he had broken away from the carnival. There on my TV screen was the incredibly good-looking man that I just couldn't forget. He had his own show.

Year four was when I met Walter. I thought this could be a good thing. I have a job my brothers are basically living on there own and now I'm in a relationship maybe I could really forget about Patrick.

So why was it that I was standing in front of the Farris wheel when the fifth summer came around.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's chapter eleven, I hope you enjoy, it's a little shorter than I had planned on it being but I hope you enjoy it none the less. I'll have the next chapter posted as soon as I can. So please as always review I love to hear what you think. And as usual I own nothing. **

I waited twenty minutes before turning to walk away. I shouldn't be here. He wasn't coming I had seen his show I had seen all of those tabloids, why would he want to come back to me? This was my own fault, I had told him to wait. I was almost to my car when I heard it.

"Leaving already?" Someone called, I turned around and there he was.

"Places like these just steal your money." I shrugged.

"So I've heard." He smiled, "But it's been a little while since I've been to one."

"So I've heard." I repeated his words back to him, I couldn't allow myself to smile. "What's wrong with your hair?" No man should be allowed to where that much hair gel.

"I've been told by many women that it looks very nice." He answered.

"They were wrong." I smirked, "What are you doing here?"

"We had a date." He shrugged.

"What about all those other women?" I frowned, his frown mirrored my own, but only for a second because there was his mask again.

"Other women?" He questioned.

"I've seen your show, I've read the tabloids." I did my best to keep my voice even, I couldn't believe he was denying it.

"It's an act Teresa." He dropped his mask completely, "You have to trust me." He begged.

"I have to trust you?" I laughed, "Trust the conman."

"I told you I wouldn't lie to you." He tried, "How about we go get some dinner, Charlie's waiting at the pizza place by the river." He changed his tactics.

"Why would I do that?" I questioned.

"You showed up here for a reason, at least get a free meal out of it." He answered.

"My car's over here." I sighed, leading him away from the noise of the Carnival.

The car ride was silent he stared out the window the whole way. He had come back I admitted to myself, and I was the one that was acting ridiculous. It's not like I hadn't been with anyone in the past five years.

Charlie was waiting in the same booth Patrick and I had our first date at. "Teresa!" She smiled getting up and hurrying to hug me.

"Oh wow, you've gotten so big, it's been such a long time." I returned, she smiled, it was his smile, the smile you couldn't say no to.

"I'm ten now." She admitted, leading me to the seat next to her. "And guess what else."

"What?" I smiled.

"I'm going into fifth grade." She announced looking to her dad and then back to me for a reaction.

"You're going to school, that's great." I grinned, but looked to her father.

"I told you I wanted my daughter to grow up differently than I did." He shrugged. "Charlotte became the first Jane to attend school."

Before I could answer my phone started ringing, "Dammit!" I hissed looking at the caller ID. "What is it?" I asked into the phone, "Now?"…"Alright I'll be there in five minutes."

"Excuse me can we get to go cups for these drinks." Patrick waved the waiter over. "Good thing we haven't ordered yet." He smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, that was work, I got to go." I frowned.

"Not without us." He shook his head, "You're not going to make us walk all the way to our hotel in the dark." He pouted.

"I can't just take guests to a crime scene." I protested.

"We'll behave, we promise we'll wait in the car." Charlie begged. "Then we can get pizza after."

"It may take awhile, you may be asking for breakfast instead." I gave in, grabbing my drink and watching Patrick throw the money on the table.


	12. Chapter 12

**I wanted to post this now because some things have come up and I don't know when I'll be able to post again, I'll try and post the next chapter as soon as I can. But please enjoy, and review, as usual I don't own anything. **

"You two stay in the car." Teresa instructed grabbing her gun and badge from the center council. I waited a couple minutes before turning to Charlie.

"Stay in the car." I warned she just nodded. "I mean it you don't need to be seeing that."

"Yeah, Yeah, we don't need her mad at both of us." Charlie sighed as I shut the car door. I strolled past where the body lay to the crashed car nearby. There was blood everywhere, I started trying to put the pieces together in my mind. Someone shot the driver, the window was completely blown out. Then he crashed the car, well that would explain the blood. Wait a minute.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Teresa shouted, I was looking at the ground around the passenger side of the car.

"Looking for the passenger." I shrugged.

"What are you talking about?!" She was still shouting and an audience was starting to gather.

"Well I was waiting in the car and then I got this intense headache, and someone was telling me to find the passenger." I acted, I knew I was making Teresa mad, but honestly she looked so adorable angry.

"Get to the point." She hissed. "Show me some proof."

"The blood on the windshield here, someone hit their head when the car hit the tree, hence my headache." I started, "With that amount of blood loss they couldn't get far which means they are somewhere nearby."

I led the group of officers into the nearby cornfield following the tiny drops of blood on the swaying ears of corn.

"Oh my God." Teresa whispered as we came across an unconscious woman.

"I think you found your killer." I stated pointing to the gun lying not far from the women. "Actually that makes sense."

"Excuse me, what makes sense?" Teresa wondered, looking from me to the paramedics rushing toward the women.

"Well it was obvious the drivers side window was shot out, this just explains why there weren't any bullet holes in the car." I explained. "My guess, she didn't accurately judge the time it would take for her to jump out of the car and didn't make it out before the car hit the tree."

"What are you some sort of private detective?" A man questioned from behind me.

"Psychic actually, and Agent Lisbon's date for the night." I smirked while Teresa glared. That was when I really saw the man who asked the question. "Why Kimball Cho, how is Angela." I laughed.

"She disappeared, left me actually." He showed no emotion, "Five years ago."

"She does that." I shrugged, "So case closed Teresa time for pizza."

"Not quite." She frowned, "I still have paperwork to do."

"Well how about we pick up a pizza on the way to your office?" I suggested.

"How about I drop you and Charlie off at your hotel?" She returned.

"We got it under control here boss, you can get back to your date." Kimball offered, I grinned as Teresa hesitantly agreed and I followed her back to the car.

"You said you'd stay in the car!" She lectured once we had started back toward the pizza place.

"I lied." I shrugged, "I do that." It was cruel but I loved the way she looked when she was mad at me. "The spirits were telling me that you would need my help." I laughed and she slapped me.

"You're a thief and a liar and a conman." She vented.

"Yes I am." I admitted, It must have thrown her off a little bit because she turned her head to watch me, "Eyes on the road." I laughed.

"You were supposed to deny it." She frowned.

"And lie to you?" I acted offended.

"You do that." She smirked.

"Can we just get the pizza and eat it at the hotel room?" Charlie interrupted from the back seat. "I'm tired and want to watch a movie."

"What do you say Teresa pizza and a movie in our hotel room?" I questioned.

"I guess that sounds okay." She shrugged trying to cover up the internal debate. We let Charlie pick out a movie while we waited for the pizza.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay so I know I'm mad at myself right now it's been basically a whole week since I was able to update, and upon reading the last chapter I posted, the crime scene/case was pretty lame, so I apologize. This chapter is basically all fluff, but it felt pretty good to be typing again, so I would love to hear what you have to say about it. This chapter is from Jane's POV and as always I own nothing. **

It was around five when I woke up with a stiff neck. I would love for this to be a normal day I smiled rolling my neck. I had Teresa asleep on my right her head on my chest and Charlie asleep on my left her head on my shoulder.

The TV was glowing blue from being paused sometime in the night. The empty pizza box was at the foot of the bed. While the night stand held three mostly empty glasses. I don't think I could have been happier.

Teresa started to stir to my right, "Good morning." I whispered, watching as her groggy eyes took in her surroundings.

"Good morning." She smiled realizing where she was.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked keeping my voice hushed not wanting to wake Charlie.

"Peacefully, how about yourself." She wondered.

"The best sleep I've had in a long time." I admitted.

"This is weird." She yawned.

"What's weird?" I frowned.

"Seeing you somewhat domesticated." She smiled, motioning to my sleeping daughter.

"This is nothing." I laughed, "I cook and clean to. You just never gave me the opportunity to show you."

"I wanted to." She confessed, "but we were kids. I was eighteen."

"What about now?" I questioned.

"I tried being with someone else…it didn't work." She admitted.

"But." I supplied.

"But I'm a cop and you're a conman." She started.

"Sounds like a really bad sitcom." I laughed.

"I want some commitment from you." She stated, "I don't expect you to stop conning people, but I want you to stay this time."

"I want to stay this time." I kissed her forehead.

"But." She supplied.

"I have a show at the end of the week, and then another next week." I explained to her. "I have to go or risk getting sued."

"So when you wanted to stay I said no and now when I want you to stay you can't." Her eyes watered.

"We can figure something out." I reassured her, "I'm not going to wait another five years."

"You promise?" She asked.

"I promise." I answered, "So tell me how did you get placed in charge of your own team after only two years."


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright I know I'm sorry I've gotten really bad at updating lately first it was a family thing, then christmas, now I'm on vacation, but I promise that next week I will be on my normally almost every other day system. Actually I can't say I will be, because then something will come up, how about I should be back on track next week. Anyway I hope this chapter can hold you over until I can post again, please I'm desperate for reviews so tell me what you think. This chapter is from Lisbon's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

How did he talk me into this? He had said something official sounding something like taking his statement from the crime scene. Then Charlie started begging to and now they were sitting on the couch in the bullpen that had never been used before.

It was actually rather amusing when Cho walked in and Charlie gave him a hug. He didn't really know how to react to that, until Cho reached for his wallet and it was gone.

"That's twice." Patrick laughed, pulling the wallet from Charlie's pocket and handing it back to Cho. "You have to be more careful, come on Charlie a police station." He teased his daughter.

"Sorry." Charlie giggled as she apologized to Cho.

That's when the two other member of my team walked in, causing Patrick and Charlie to start laughing for no reason. "I'm sorry, it appears I owe you either a pink teddy bear or ten dollars."

"Excuse me." Wayne Rigsby frowned, at the man in front of him.

"Never mind." Patrick shook his hand and then turned to the youngest member of my team Grace Van Pelt.

"Your Patrick Jane!" Grace grinned, and Patrick kissed the top of her hand, he really was always a showman.

"I am, and you are?" He responded.

"Grace Van Pelt, I saw your show when you were here six years ago, it was amazing." Grace started.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I assume you've seen the TV show." He smiled, was he really promoting his crap here, selling a con to a group of cops. "But excuse me I forgot to introduce my daughter, this is Charlotte."

"Oh wow nice to meet you." Van Pelt shook hands with Charlie. "I didn't know you had a daughter."

"He doesn't like to share the spot light." Charlie grinned, she was just like her father. She could charm anyone if she wanted to.

"I'm just trying to protect her." Patrick smiled, holding his daughter close, "The paparazzi can be pretty mean."

"That's so sweet." Grace grinned, "But if you don't mind me asking what are you doing here?"

"Visiting my ..." Patrick grinned, and that's when I got up.

"Mr. Jane thank you for helping on the case last night and giving us your statement this morning, I'm sure you have somewhere else to be." I frowned in an effort to get in between them. I don't know why I didn't want Grace to know, Cho knew and I didn't care.

"Oh Teresa, always so shy." He smirked, and I turned to slap his arm but he jumped away. "Or not shy." He chuckled, "Just not wanting to mix business with pleasure."

"Patrick." I hissed, feeling my face turn bright red.

"As I was saying I'm in town visiting my girlfriend, who apparently doesn't like me at her place of business." He was just being an ass now. "I guess I should have seen that."

"Oh boss how come you never told us, this is so exciting! You two look so cute together." She was practically jumping with excitement. I don't know what she thought was cute, I was glaring at him and he was smirking at me, while Charlie sat on the couch and laughed.

"I have paperwork to get done." I groaned, anything had to be better than this situation. I sat at my desk trying to ignore the fact that Patrick was out there charming my co-workers and possibly conning them out of more money. I didn't know what Patrick had meant about the ten dollars and a teddy bear but I'm pretty sure I didn't want to know.

About an hour or so later I went to the kitchen area to refill my cup of coffee. When Grace came in behind me, "Boss he's perfect." Grace walked into the kitchenette area. "He's sooo good looking and charming and his daughter is so sweet." I just nodded, "Did you know his daughter's psychic to?" I had to stop myself from spitting my coffee all over her. "But he's so sweet, he doesn't want her in the spot light because he wants her to live a normal life, he's just trying to protect her."

"Is he really?" I nodded, "And who told you this?"

"He did when they were going through cold cases together." She smiled.

"And how did they get those files?" I questioned.

"I gave them the files, they looked so bored sitting there on the couch so I thought they could maybe get something off the files." Grace explained, "You know psychically."

"Excuse me." I sighed leaving a very confused Van Pelt behind. "Give me those!"

"I found the killer." Patrick answered holding a single file out to me.

"Excuse me." I snapped grabbing the file.

"You're excused." Patrick smiled.

"I helped him find the killer." Charlie chimed in.

"I worked this case for weeks and interviewed people for hours how could you two have found the killer from looking at a folder." I frowned, "And don't give me your psychic crap."

"Oh so you heard the good news." Patrick laughed, "Charlie's inherited my psychic gift."

"No, stop it, you leave Grace alone. You can't go around playing with people like that. Especially not cops." I hissed.

"You're right, that was very wrong of us." He smirked, "Don't you want to know who did it?"

"Fine, but then you two are catching a cab and going back to your hotel." I sighed flipping through the folder.

"Come sit, be enlightened." He smiled scooting over on the couch. "It's the brother. In your first interview he said he went south for the week. Then when you talked to him a week later he says he went to his cabin in Wisconsin. Last time I checked Wisconsin wasn't south of Chicago."

"How did I miss that?" I frowned

"Well you didn't talk to him both times, you had some other agent interview him the first time." He wrapped his arm around me. "So you already had his motive, and I just got rid of his alibi."

"We still don't have any proof." I sighed.

"He lied in an interview that's enough to bring him in to talk isn't it?" He questioned, "I could probably get him to confess."

"You could, could you?" I smirked at his confidence.

"Yes. Yes I think I could." He nodded pulling me closer.

"How about if he gets the man to confess you join us for dinner every night this week, if not we never visit you at work again." Charlie climbed in between.

"She must be a mind reader because that's exactly what I was thinking." Patrick laughed.

"Or she's just as twisted and cunning as her father." I grinned hugging Charlie, "And I just may take you up on that deal."


	15. Chapter 15

**So I'm hoping to be able to update on a more regular basis now that the holidays are over. Here is chapter 15 I hope you enjoy the chapter it almost pure fluff. Please tell me what you think, this chapter is from Lisbon's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

So why was I not surprised when I was being taken out to dinner that night. We brought the brother in and after ten minutes of Patrick playing his ridiculous mind games and claiming psychic powers he had gotten the man to confess to shooting his brother and he was even willing to provide the murder weapon.

"How did you know when he was lying?" I asked during dinner.

"Give me your hand." He smiled.

"Come on just tell me." I sighed not really in the mood for a big scene in such a public restaurant.

"Just give me your hand." He laughed. So I gave in and held my hand out over the table. His hand was warm covering mind, he moved his fingers to cover my wrist. "Okay I'm going to ask you a couple questions, answer some truthfully for others lie to me."

"What's this going to do?" I frowned.

"Trust me for once." He smiled, and Charlie giggled. "Let me ask the questions."

"Fine." I sighed.

"Do you work as a cop?" He asked.

"Yes." I nodded and he nodded.

"Do you have three brothers?" He questioned.

"Yes." I answered and he nodded.

"Did we meet at a carnival?" He asked next.

"No." I tried, and he laughed.

"You really are a horrible liar." He smiled, and Charlie laughed.

"Am not." I tried to defend. He just chuckled, "Ask another question."

"Umm do you want to come back to the hotel room after dinner for a game night?" He offered.

"Yes." I nodded, and he smiled.

"I like that answer." He grinned, "One more question." I nodded, "Do you mind that I con people?" He tried, how was I supposed to answer that.

"No." I answered, and he frowned.

"Does it bother you that much?" He frowned.

"No." I shook my head, and he nodded, "It's just…" I don't know what it was.

"I understand." He just smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"No, Patrick I don't want you to change, it's not like that." I attempted. "l don't like that you con people, but …"

"But if you changed you be boring." Charlie cut in.

"That is not what I was thinking at all." I laughed, and that was enough to lighten the mood. "So how could you tell that I was lying?"

"Well it was written all over your face," He grinned, "but the trick was I was reading your pulse."

"Can I try?" I wanted to know, moving my fingers to his wrist. "Is your name Patrick Jane?"

"Yes." He smiled.

"Is your daughter's name Charlie?" I asked.

"Yes." He nodded, I could feel his pulse remain steady this was a pretty easy trick.

"Have you ever committed a crime?" I smiled.

"No." He answered, his pulse didn't change, causing me to frown I looked up and he was smiling.

"Are you lying?" I tried.

"No." He smirked.

"How are you doing that?" I complained, "You lied your pulse trick doesn't work."

"It does work, just not on me." He laughed, "Biofeedback tricks." He answered before I could even ask him how. "I can control my pulse, how much I sweat other stuff like that."

"That's not fair." I pouted, letting go of his wrist.

"What about me, ask me questions." Charlie stuck her wrist out, so I smiled and went along.

"You didn't learn those biofeedback tricks did you?" I laughed.

"Nope." She answered and pulse remained the same, which I guess didn't necessarily mean anything. "Not very well, anyway, I've tried." She shrugged, "Ask another question."

"Do you like school?" I wondered.

"Yep." She nodded.

"I don't know what else to ask?" I shrugged, "No wait, Patrick give me your hand." He obliged, "Take each others." I instructed, they smiled at each other and did I said, "now I have one question."

"Ask away my dear." Patrick grinned.

"And no biofeedback nonsense." I warned.

"I promise." He nodded.

"Are you, both of you happy here together with me right now?" I smiled, feeling both of their pulses.

"Yes." Patrick grinned.

"Of course." Charlie's grin mirrored her fathers, I felt each of their fingers move to my wrist.

"And are you Teresa Lisbon happy here with the two of us right now." Patrick asked, I could feel my heart rate quicken, and I knew they could feel it to.

"I am." I smiled, my pulse slowed down. "I really am."


	16. Chapter 16

**I know it's been awhile and I said I would try to update sooner but of course real life got in the way. So here's chapter sixteen it's from Lisbon's POV, so as usual please tell me what you think, and I own nothing. **

I spent the night at his hotel again I smiled, this just felt so right. Waking up wrapped in his embrace knowing that his beautiful little girl was in the other bed. I know now what I didn't know back then, this was what I wanted. I wanted to wake up and see him smiling at me with his gorgeous blond curls ruffled from sleep.

"Good morning." I smiled back at him, he put his finger to his lips signaling silence before pointing to his daughter who hurried to close her eyes again. He glanced at me with a wicked grin, before creeping out of bed and tiptoeing to his daughter's bed. I grinned as he started tickling her causing shrieks of laughter.

"Teresa help me!" She begged.

"She's on my side, theirs no one here to help you." Patrick taunted, making his daughter squirm with laughter, and that's when I made my decision to intervene. I jumped out of bed and started tickling Patrick. "Oh I see how it is." He laughed grabbing my waist and all but throwing me onto the bed. "Betraying me for my daughter, but that's okay." He started tickling me and then Charlie joined in.

"Hey I was tricked." I gasped trying to control my laughter.

"It's what we do." Patrick smirked, allowing himself to fall onto the bed next to me, so now I was lying in between Charlie and Patrick all of us gasping for breath.

"Con men, the both of you." I laughed, "But then again I suppose that's why I love you."

"I love you to Teresa." Charlie smiled curling up next to me.

I felt Patrick pull both of us closer. "Well I love both of you." Patrick whispered, "My two girls." We just laid there for a while before Patrick looked at the clock, "What should we do for breakfast?"

"I have to go I want to run home and shower before work." I sighed, looking up into his eyes hoping he wouldn't look to hurt. "But I'll see you tonight, I did make a deal."

"You better eat something." He warned sitting up so that I could get out of bed.

"I'll get a coffee on my way to work." I shrugged, running into the bathroom before looking for my shoes.

"Coffee is not food." He scolded, before tossing me my car keys. I just shrugged and walked out the door. I kind of hated leaving, but I had to get to work. I just had to remember that I would get to see them for dinner.

An hour later when I walked into work my team was already there, was I that late? No, I was still on time, I'm just used to getting here early. "Hey Boss where's Mr. Jane?" Van Pelt asked when I walked into the bullpen.

"He's with his daughter." I shrugged, looking around all three of them were looking for an answer.

"Aww that's a shame." Van Pelt sighed, "He was so nice and I thought maybe he could look through some more of the cold case folders." I noticed Cho smirk out of the corner of my eye and gave him a look he just shrugged.

"Well I don't think he want's to work on his vacation." I answered heading back to my office.

"Well maybe he can come visit later this week." Van Pelt tried.

"I'll ask him." I called over my shoulder. I had to finish up some paperwork, we had actually closed two cases in two days, well Patrick did but that shouldn't matter because my team still got credit for it.

It was nearly noon when I realized I hadn't really eaten anything despite Patrick's warning. I grabbed my phone and headed down the street for a sandwich, I couldn't help but call and check up on him.

"Well hello." He answered his phone, "Work that boring today?"

"No." I tried to answer, but he just chuckled, it really did seem boring today, it had never seemed boring before. "What are you doing?"

"Shopping." He answered, I heard people talking in the background.

"I like this one!" I heard Charlie declare, "I think she'll like it too!"

"And what are we shopping for?" I wondered, smiling at the sound of Charlie's voice.

"That my dear is for you to find out later." He answered, after hushing Charlie.

"Not for me I hope." I wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Well not just for you." He stated, not giving away anything.

"I want to say hi to." Charlie tried I could almost see her pulling on her dad's sleeve. I heard an exchange of words and then, "Hi Teresa." She called through the phone.

"Hi Charlie, I don't suppose your going to tell me what you're buying." I tried.

"Nope, but you're going to love it." She answered.

"Do I get a hint?" I wondered.

"I gave you a hint, I said you were going to love it." She laughed.

"That is not a hint." I frowned, finishing up the sandwich and getting ready to head back to work.

"Well that's all you get." Patrick had taken the phone back.

"I have to get back to work." I announced, "but your going to tell me what you're buying."

"You're right I will tell you, but not today." He answered. "Have fun at work, tell Grace I'll come and visit sometime soon."

"I love you." I sighed, why was he always so frustrating?

"I love you to Teresa." I could almost hear him smiling through the phone. It was going to be hard to make it through the second half of the day when the only case I wanted to solve was what on earth he was buying.

"Patrick says, he'll come visit later this week." I told my team before closing the door to my office. I knew if I tried I could get this paper work done early, and be free to leave. I never leave work early what was this man doing to me?


	17. Chapter 17

**Here's chapter 17, I'll have the next chapter posted as soon as I can, I love that you guys are enjoying the story and I'm so thankful that you have stuck with me so far. Like always I love to hear what you have to think so please review. As usual I own nothing. **

How we ended up back in my apartment instead of his hotel room I'll never know, and yet here I was waking up in my bed with his arms wrapped around me while Charlie was asleep in my guest room. He was in town for two more days before his plane back to LA, and I had promised to take him to work with me this morning. Hoping beyond hope that we didn't get a case, because I didn't need to give him any more opportunities to mess with Grace.

It was a little after noon when Cho came in, "Boss we caught one." He stated before closing the door again.

"Oh excellent!" Patrick grinned jumping up from the couch in my office Charlie right behind him.

"Stay here." I warned, knowing full well he wouldn't listen.

"You're funny." He smiled, grabbing his jacket from the nearby chair.

"Hysterical," I sighed, grabbing my badge and gun from the top drawer of my desk. "You know we don't bring guests to crime scenes."

"If I said we'd wait in the car would you believe me?" He tried following me to the door.

"Not a chance." I smirked.

"It was worth a shot." Charlie shrugged right on her dad's heel's.

"Oh are you coming Mr. Jane?" Grace smiled, as we met up with the team at the elevator.

"I figured I'd offer my services since I was here." He smiled and Grace looked as if she was going to melt under his gaze.

"You three ride together and I'll babysit Mr. Jane and his daughter." I gave directions leading the way to my SUV.

"Oh babysit that's a little harsh don't you think." Patrick smirked, jumping into the passenger seat. I just grinned and waited for the two of them to buckle their seatbelts. The two of them spent the hour drive theorizing about who the killer would be and we hadn't even seen the body yet.

"You two have no idea what you're talking about." I laughed, "You're just guessing."

"But I'm a very good guesser." Patrick smiled.

"I still think the mother did it." Charlie added.

"We don't even know who the victim is yet, how can you say the mother?" I smiled at her confidence in her own guess.

"The probability." Charlie shrugged.

"The probability is higher that a boyfriend or lover did it." Patrick corrected.

"But that would be to boring." Charlie argued.

"Heaven forbid we have a boring case." I sighed, "Why would anyone want to make my life easy."

When we arrived the crime scene was pretty standard, a young women was found in an old warehouse.

"She wasn't killed here." Patrick declared.

"Oh and you're sure of this are you?" I questioned, we had been here for barely a minute and he was already starting this.

"I am sure." He turned and gave me a smile. "First off no women wearing a quarter million dollars worth of jewelry and Prada shoes would willingly come in side this building, which I guess that also rules out robbery."

"You may have a point but there is no real proof." I sighed, looking at the body on the ground. There was less blood around the body than would be expected if she had been killed.

"You noticed the blood, I'd say that's proof." He grinned, but we were both distracted by a noise at the door, and before I knew what was happening Patrick was shouting. "Charlotte Jane I told you to stay in the car!"

"That's not fair I want to help to!" Charlie shouted back.

"There is nothing up here that you need to see!" He was yelling at his daughter making sure to stand in between her and the body on the floor. I had never seen him mad before. "I don't give you many rules, but I'm asking you to listen to this one." He stopped shouting. "You're ten years old, you don't need to try and help. You let the professionals do their job."

Charlie started to say something but saw the look on her fathers face and headed back out to the car. "Yea let the professionals do their job and stop trying to impress you're girlfriend." She shouted over her shoulder. I watched as Patrick moved toward the door, ran his hand through his hair and then looked back to me.

"You were right not to let her see this." I reached for his hand, "But she was right to, you should let us handle this, you've already helped plenty."

"You know what, I don't even know if this would be the worst thing she's seen." He frowned, looking at the girl on the ground. "A lot of things happened at the carnival, I mean no one was murdered, but plenty drunken fights leading to unconscious and bleeding men outside of the trailers."

"Yeah, but there is still a difference between that and someone who's not getting up again in the morning." I reassured.

"I'm just distracting you here, I'll go outside, besides she wasn't killed here there's nothing left to see." He nodded, walking outside after his daughter. When I came out with the rest of the team everything must have been squared away because they were playing a game of soccer with a can that had been lying around.

"Ha!" Charlie laughed, moving the can passed him and kicking it beneath the tires of my car. "I win!"

"No way the one before that didn't count." Patrick smiled, "Hello our fearless law enforcement officers."

"Glad to see you can keep yourselves entertained." Cho stated getting into the second car.

"You should know that the owner of the store across the street knows something." Patrick just kept grinning.

"Did you go talk to him?" I frowned.

"And do official police business without the police?" He feigned offense, "Of course not."

"He was watching you guys through the window, and then when the can got kicked to far over there I asked him what he was looking at. He just said he would wait for the police to come talk to him." Charlie frowned, "So he saw something that is to horrible for a little girl to hear." She pouted.

"You three go on back and start processing what we've got, look into family, places of business, stuff like that you know the drill." I instructed my team, "I think if it's okay with her father, Charlie can come help me with the interview."

"Well I'll have to be there of course, make sure the topic is appropriate." He nodded, letting me lead the way across the street. As it turns out the only thing the guy saw was a large expensive car pulling into the warehouse parking lot and a medium build person with a hood up drag a heavy looking thing into the building and then rush out about five minutes later. He couldn't even tell us the license plate number of the car let alone if the driver was male or female.

Luckily as we were leaving I got a call from Cho, giving the address of the women's family. It was some expensive manor on the other side of town where she lived with her father, stepmother, and younger brother. In the end I drove out there with Patrick and Charlie, the two of them throwing out one crazy theory after the next, each one getting slightly more ridiculous.


	18. Chapter 18

**I hope you enjoy this chapter it's basically just a little bit of filler because I trying to focus on the next two chapters. This chapter was just an attempt to be fun and cute I guess I'm not sure. So please as always read and review it's from Lisbon's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

For the second night this week dinner consisted of pizza, only this time it was shared with the team in the bullpen around ten o'clock. "I told you so." Charlie giggled sitting across from her father, "I was right!"

"Not technically," Patrick smiled, "You said her mother."

"Yeah and it was her mother." Charlie returned.

"It was her step mother." Patrick corrected taking a bite of his pizza.

"A step mother is basically the same thing as a mother, I hope that my step mother will be better than my mother." Charlie argued, I saw Patrick glance at me with a smirk and I felt my face blush. Did I want to be her stepmother, well yes of course, but that would mean…was I ready for marriage? What was I worrying about anyway, no one said anything about marriage, she was just trying to prove her point, but where had that thought come from? Why was the first thing I thought of marriage?

"Alright fair enough, you were close enough." He admitted defeat, but the look on his face just showed pride in his daughter.

"I'd say she was right, she was a hell of a lot closer than your guess." I teased. "What did you say the boyfriend."

"Wait you predicted who killed her?" Grace cut in, I watched as Cho rolled his eyes and Rigsby looked up from his pizza.

"Yes she did." Patrick bragged, "You have no idea how proud I am of my little girl."

"Yea she's just like her father." I coughed.

"I can only take that as a complement." He chuckled resting his arm on the back of my chair.

"Of course you would." I shook my head, but none the less moved my chair closer to his, trying my hardest to ignore the fact that my colleagues were making faces either in awe or annoyance depending on the person.

After the pizza was thoroughly devoured and things cleaned up I led Patrick and Charli back out to my car. The two of them sharing a whispered conversation behind me, "That will be taken care of tomorrow." I heard Patrick answer, but I didn't hear the question.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about that mysterious object you were buying the other day would it?" I interrupted stopping the whispers.

"Actually not at all." Patrick smiled, "That object will be revealed in time, but probably not for a little while, because we will have to be leaving soon."

"So you're not going to tell me?" I frowned.

"Nope." He grinned.

"You're not going to tell me and you're expecting me to take you back to my apartment." I tried.

"Well at the very least that's where our rental car is." He shrugged, he wasn't even going to try and convince me, he already knew that since tomorrow was his last day in town I wasn't letting him out of my sight until I absolutely had to.

"I could drop you off at the hotel with out your rental car." I continued to try.

"You could." He nodded.

"You just enjoy being right don't you?" I gave in.

"It is quite enjoyable," He chuckled.

"You two are kinda annoying sometimes you know that." Charlie interrupted, "You like arguing just for the sake of arguing."

"I think she's right." Patrick smiled.

"She could be right." I agreed, "You do like to argue."

"I like to argue?" He laughed, "You're the one who started this little spat."

"Spat?" I laughed.

"Yes what is wrong with the word spat?" He grinned at me.

"You're doing it again." Charlie giggled.

"Thank you, I think we're quite aware." Patrick turned to look at his daughter.

"Just thought I'd let you know." She smiled.

"And I'm grateful for that." He chuckled, It was hard to think that after one day they would both be gone, we hadn't talked about his leaving. All he had said was he wasn't going to wait another five years, but he had never said exactly when he was coming back. Did he expect me to go with him? His was definitely the one with a higher paying job, and I could be a cop anywhere, he couldn't put his show on anywhere. Could I leave Chicago? My brothers were still here, well most of the time. What about the team, could I leave them? I mean they were practically family. "Teresa?" Patrick interrupted my train of thought, "Stop thinking so loud you're giving me a headache."

"What? Oh." I had pulled into the apartment complex but was still sitting in my car.

"Things will work themselves out, you don't need to worry about them." He gave me a comforting smile and helped me from the car.

"You promise." I whispered.

"I promise." He reassured holding me close.


	19. Chapter 19

**And here is chapter 19 and it's super short so I'm terribly sorry about it don't get to disappointed the next chapter will be a little bit better. This chapter is in Lisbon POV, and as usual I own nothing. **

He was gone how could he be gone, we were supposed to spend today together, well at work, but still together. My apartment was empty when I checked, I hurried to the hotel but they had already checked out, how were they gone?

He said everything would work itself out, what had that meant? Had that meant that he really wasn't ready for commitment like he thought he was, and had taken this as an opportunity to get out. No, we had never talked about commitment, was that what made him leave. No. I was being stupid, I could call him and see. I called but there was no answer. Of course there was no answer he was probably on a plane back to California, his show was tonight, maybe they needed him on set early for some reason. No he would have said good-bye, Charlie would have said good-bye. They were both gone and there was nothing I could do. Should I fly out to California and confront him? No what if I was over reacting what if he had gone to the grocery store to get something for breakfast, my kitchen was empty after all. It was nearly nine he would have been back by now and he wouldn't have taken Charlie with him on just an errand, he wouldn't have checked out of his hotel either.

They were gone and there was nothing I could do but go to work alone. I couldn't get anything done, I sat at my desk all day and just starred at the papers in front of me. It was Van Pelt that finally forced me to go home around five thirty. I didn't want to go back to the apartment but where else did I have to go.

Had I left my door unlocked? Probably I had left in such a hurry to check the hotel, but had I left my TV on to? No I had left in such a hurry going straight to the hotel, I never even turned it on. What a great way to end a perfect day, I groaned pulling my gun and creeping toward the living room.


	20. Chapter 20

**So everyone's been really quiet these past couple chapters, so I hope that maybe I'll get a couple reviews out of this chapter. So please enjoy, it's from Lisbon's POV, and as always I own nothing. **

"Jesus Teresa please put the gun away." Charlie frowned holding her hands up in front of her.

"What are you doing here? Where's your dad?" I questioned looking around the room, she just pointed at the TV. Of course it was almost six o'clock, that's when his show was on.

"Sit." Charlie instructed moving me to the couch where I noticed two plates of spaghetti a loaf of bread and two salads, along with two glasses of Champagne.

"That better not be for you." I frowned, causing Charlie to laugh.

"Relax Teresa, yours is real, mine is sparkling grape juice. And even if it were real I've tried wine before." She smirked.

"You're ten." I scolded.

"My dad has this theory that if he restricts a whole bunch of things I'll try to rebel all together, but if it's available to me I won't be as interested in it." She explained.

"That's ridiculous." I laughed.

"Is it?" She returned, "Dad was told to stick with the carnival and avoid the law growing up. So instead he's wanted nothing more that to leave the carnival, and he's in love with a cop."

"That's different." I tried to argue, but I guess I could kind of see her point.

"Shh, the shows starting." Charlie hushed me before taking her seat next to me and reaching for a dinner plate.

"I thought your dad didn't want you watching his act?" I picked up my own plate.

"That was before the reruns were aired nightly." She shrugged. We sat in silence watching the opening sequence of the show, all I could think about was six years ago when Charlie and I were eating macaroni and peas while watching her dad through a crack in the tent, and how similar this whole thing seemed.

"It's nice to have you all here." Patrick greeted his audience, walking on to the main stage with a glass of champagne in his hand. "I'm going to be conducting the show a bit differently this evening." He informed. "I would like to start with an apology. I'm truly sorry for leaving so early this morning Teresa. I hope you are enjoying the dinner I gave Charlie the same recipe that I used that day in the park." The audience was trying to figure out where he was going with this and so was I for that matter. He took a sip of his champagne, flashed a smile to the audience and started again. "I have recruited the help of my daughter for my next announcement." He took another sip from his glass, and reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a tiny box. "Teresa Lisbon will you marry me?" He questioned on live television.

"Teresa?" Charlie questioned taking the glass from my hand. That's when she was holding an identical box to the one her father had, and inside was a ring.

"Oh my God." I whispered looking at the ring being held in front of me. It was perfect, very simple and yet incredibly ornate at the same time.

"As psychic as I am Teresa, you are halfway across the country and I would like to hear your answer out loud." He declared, and that's when I realized Charlie had pulled out a cell phone and was already dialing. That's when it dawned on me he was on live television right now, at least one of my coworkers were watching this right now. "I will try and predict her first words." Jane smirked pulling the ringing phone out of his pocket. "It will probably be 'Patrick Jane you…"

"You son of a bitch!" I screamed into the phone, before realizing that was exactly what he had predicted I would say. "Damn you." I cursed hearing my voices muffled echo on the TV.

"I love you to darling." He laughed, I heard many of the people in his audience as well. "However neither of your statements were an answer."

"You left this morning without even saying good bye." I pouted, I was not going to be easy on him not in front if all of his fans.

"I did apologize, I had some business to take care of this morning." He responded continuing to grin.

"It took you all day to buy a ring and a bottle of champagne." I stated, I watched as the audience snickered.

"Well no actually I bought the ring before I went to see you at the beginning of the week." He returned.

"Then what was so important that you had to leave?" I was holding the ring in my hand, I couldn't bring myself to put it on just yet.

"I had some people to talk to." He answered with a smile. "Which brings me to my second announcement." He turned to his audience. "Next week will be my last show." The crowd was a mixture of sighs and shocked cries. "I will be moving to a more privatized sector so I can be closer to my daughter and fiancé."

"You didn't!" I all but leapt for joy barely noticing Charlie slip the ring on my finger.

"I did, and I will tell you all about it when you get out here tomorrow." He announced. Charlie pulled two first class plane tickets out from under one of my pillows. "Until then Charlie would love to summarize for you because I still have a show to put on." He motioned to his audience. "However before we hang up, you have still not answered my question…Teresa Lisbon will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes of course I will marry you." I smiled, "How come I have a feeling you knew the answer before you asked?"

"I love you Teresa, and I will see you and Charlie tomorrow." He just grinned putting the box back in his pocket and finishing off his glass of champagne.

"I love you to Patrick." I answered, Charlie and I watched as he hung up the phone and placed it with the empty box in his pocket. "This episode will be played on rerun won't it?" I frowned.

"Yep." Charlie laughed watching my face turn red. "I have a feeling fans are really going to love that episode."


	21. Chapter 21

**Alright chapter twenty one, I would love to hear what you think about the chapter and I think I've finally decided on an ending but don't worry it's not for another nine or ten chapters. So please read, enjoy and review, this chapter is in Lisbon's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

"What did he mean by privatized sector?" I turned to Charlie, "And how am going to California tomorrow I have to work all week?"

"To answer your second question first he went and talked to your boss so you actually have the next ten days off." Charlie stated finishing her dinner.

"And the privatized sector?" I wondered.

"He got a job working as a consultant." She smiled, she was keeping something from me.

"Where will he be consulting?" I asked.

"The Chicago Bureau of Investigation." She grinned.

"Minelli hired a psychic consultant!" I almost spit into my wine.

"Not psychic just consultant." Charlie corrected, "He made that very clear to your boss."

"And Minelli hired him?" I repeated.

"Well he helped your team close three cases this week." She reminded, "I guess that was a good enough reason to hire him."

"He gave up his act." I smiled leaning back on the couch. "He proposed." I'm engaged!

"Which means I'm practically your daughter!" Charlie cheered, putting her empty plate on my coffee table, changing the station to some comedy that I had never seen and then cuddling up next to me. "Your going to adopt me right Teresa." The girl looked at me.

"Of course." I reassured her.

"And your not going to disappear like my mom did are you?" She worried, in the time that I had spent with her I had never seen her scared, but she was scared now. It was the same look my brothers wore when my dad went out each night, fear that he wasn't coming back.

"I'm not going anywhere." I promised, "So your dad is really going to be working with me?"

"No, he's going to be working for you." She giggled, and then the phone rang.

"OH MY GOD!" It was Van Pelt. "I just saw it on TV, you're engaged!" She was screaming, which caused Charlie to start laughing.

"Grace, calm down." I attempted.

"You're getting married!" She cheered.

"You knew he was planning this didn't you." I questioned thinking back to how adamant she was that I got out of work at five-thirty.

"No." She denied, "Well I knew he was planning something but he didn't tell me what."

"Well thank you for getting me home in time." I acknowledged.

"Not a problem, and have fun on your vacation, it's much deserved." She replied, "And you don't happen to know what he meant by privatized sector do you? Because if he's doing private readings I know plenty of people who would be more that willing to go."

"No Grace he's not doing private readings." I laughed, "I have to go."

"Right you have an eight am flight tomorrow." She answered, "Congratulations, see you when you get back."

"I like Grace." Charlie smiled as I put my arm around her. "Easy mark, but very sweet."

"I don't want to hear you talking about anybody being a mark." I warned, "Especially not a cop." I smirked.

"Your not my mom yet." She laughed.

"What did she mean about eight o clock flight?" I reached over Charlie for the plane tickets. "You two are crazy do you know how early we have to get up in the morning?" I announced looking at the plane ticket, "And I have to pack!"

"I'll help, but first there are some brownies in the kitchen for desert." Charlie announced hopping up and getting our empty plates and glasses.

It really had been just like the first night I watched Charlie, we ate dinner while watching her father work from a distance. Only now everything seemed so much…not necessarily better but different so right.


	22. Chapter 22

**Alright chapter 22 As always I love to hear what you have to say so please read, enjoy, and review. This chapter is from Lisbon's POV and as always I own nothing. **

The flight seemed really long, but perhaps that was because I had never been on a plane before. Or maybe I was just excited for whatever he had planned for this week.

When we landed someone was waiting to help us with our bags and even drive us to the house. When I say house it was a clear understatement.

"You live here?" I asked Charlie after our bags had been unloaded.

"We had an image to keep up." Patrick smiled walking out of the giant front door. Charlie ran to her father for a hug, before grabbing her bag and running into the house. Patrick walked down the steps and without a second thought pulled me close and kissed my lips.

"You're a liar, and a thief, and a conman and yet I can't seem to stay away from you." I whispered.

"Was." He corrected.

"Excuse me." I frowned.

"I was a liar and a thief and a conman. You changed me." He kissed me again.

"That's redundant, a liar and a thief is a conman." I smirked.

"You know I've heard that somewhere." He laughed, pulling away and lifting my suitcases off the ground. "What on earth did you pack?" He teased.

"I've never been to California before I didn't know what to pack." I defended grabbing my carry on bag.

"I left Charlie there to help you for a reason." He chuckled, leading me through the door. Where the outside of the house was lavish and expensive the inside was neat and simple.

"The image doesn't apply inside?" I questioned.

"Oh you should see out back that's where I give my private readings." He teased leading me straight up the stairs.

"You really gave up your show for me?" I asked as he threw my suitcase on his dresser.

"I have one more show at the end of the week." He answered, "And then I'm all yours."

"And Minelli hired you?" I questioned.

"Yes Boss." He turned with a grin. "I will be working under you as a consultant with no psychic pretenses." I didn't wait I jumped into his arms. "Charlie was supposed to tell you this." He smiled.

"But it sounds so much better coming from you." I answered and he fell backward onto the bed. "So psychic what do you see in our future?" I questioned, he just smirked while I unbuttoned his vest.

The rest of the evening was perfect we enjoyed a dinner of grilled steak and asparagus on the back deck of the house listening to the sound of the ocean. Then after dinner he cleared the table and took Charlie and I down to walk along the beach.

"Oh my God!" I jumped noticing something move in front of us.

"Relax." Patrick pulled me close, "It's a crab." Charlie tried to catch it with her flashlight, in the meanwhile illuminating so many more.

"Oh my God their everywhere!" I frowned standing on my toes.

"They're not going to pinch you." Charlie giggled.

"I'm barefoot." I frowned.

"So are we." Patrick laughed, "They're more afraid of you than you are of them."

"Oh like hell they are!" I shrieked keeping my flashlight on my feet.

"Come here." He sighed and squatted down, "Get on my back."

"You're not carrying me." I protested.

"Well then how do you propose we get back to the house." He smirked, and then I got an idea, "No you left your gun in Chicago you can not shoot the crabs." He stated and Charlie laughed.

"Fine." I gave in, and he carried me piggy back for at least another half mile down the beach before it was decided that we should turn around.

Despite how late it was Patrick got out three bowls of ice cream while Charlie pulled out cherries, sprinkles, chocolate and caramel syrup, and whipped cream.

"Come on Teresa!" Charlie encouraged drowning her ice cream in toppings.

"Yea come on Teresa." Patrick teased making his own sundae "You don't want to fall asleep during the movie."

"Movie?" I questioned giving in and pouring chocolate syrup and whip cream on to my ice cream.

"Yes movie, we're celebrating tonight there's no bedtime." Patrick smiled placing whip cream on my nose. Charlie started to laugh which caused Patrick to do the same thing to her.

Charlie looked at me and I just nodded, Patrick had already thrown his vest on the counter and was in the process of throwing off his shirt. Charlie grabbed the caramel and I grabbed the chocolate syrup. Patrick grabbed the can of whipped cream and raced for the back door.

I completely forgot about the crabs as we ran around the beach covering each other in syrup and whip cream. More sooner than not the three of us were sticky and covered in sand running through the house to the nearest showers. I jumped in and turned the water on still dressed.


	23. Chapter 23

**And here is chapter 23 which I'll admit is just basically fluff and I thought it was fun to write so please read, enjoy, and review. This chapter is from Lisbon's POV as always I own nothing. **

When I was done with my shower I found that I was alone in Patrick's room. When I wandered downstairs the floor had been cleaned as well as the kitchen, the sundaes had been put in the freezer and the empty syrups and whipped cream containers were in the garbage can. How did he have time to do all of that? With no one around I decided to wander through the rest of the house, and found what must have been his office. The desk looked unused full of pictures of him and Charlie there was even one of the three of us from the aquarium, that seemed like so long ago.

On the wall behind the desk were framed magazines all with him on the cover along with a copy of the flier from the carnival. The same flier I had kept hidden in my nightstand all these years.

"Do you have a warrant to search this room officer?" Patrick stated causing me to jump, how long had he been standing there?

"Are you going to have me arrested?" I asked, watching him lean against the doorframe in pajama pants and a T-shirt. "Cause I'm pretty sure they'd like to hear what I have to say about you."

"Well then maybe I shouldn't have called the cops." He smiled.

"Why did you give all of this up?" I frowned looking over the magazines on the wall.

"What exactly am I giving up?" He frowned.

"Millions of dollars, fame, this house, I don't know I think you're giving up a lot of things." I answered reading each headline.

"I already have millions of dollars, I don't need anymore fame, I'm pretty sure we can find another house in Chicago, and I'm gaining you." He answered taking a step into the room. "I'm not giving up anything."

"You're not going to get on anymore magazine covers." I sighed.

"Are you regretting your choice?" He worried coming around the desk to hold my hand.

"No I'm scared you're going to regret giving all of this up for me." I frowned.

"The only thing I regret is not going back for you sooner, and ignoring our five year agreement." He held me close. "I don't care about making money or the fame."

"I like this picture," I pointed to the nearest magazine, "But you're trying to hard in that one." He just smiled.

"You want to know my favorite?" He questioned, looking over the magazines. I watched as he examined each cover. "It's this one." He turned and pointed to the picture from the aquarium. "I just wish I had more like it."

"Well we have something to work on then." I smiled, "they just have to come out better than that because I look terrible."

"That is impossible." He grinned leading me out of the room and turning off the light.

"Where are you leading me?" I frowned.

"We still have sundaes to eat and Charlie has a movie all picked out." He explained pulling the bowls from the freezer.

"You're not going to attack me with whipped cream again are you?" I teased before accepting the bowl.

"Attack you?" He frowned, "You two attacked me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I laughed.

"If only I hadn't already used the last of the whipped cream." He threatened leading the way to the living room. Where Charlie was already curled up in the corner of the couch in her pajamas, hair still wet from the shower and her bowl of ice cream in hand.

Patrick directed me to the center of the couch, where I could sit with my legs tucked under me and still be wrapped in his arm, while Charlie scooted over to lay her head against her father.

It wasn't long before the empty ice cream bowls had been discarded on the floor and Charlie was asleep on her father's chest. It was sweet the way he carried her up the stairs and tucked her in when the movie was over. We were going to be a real family I smiled pulling back the covers of his bed, while he discarded his t-shirt, which was now damp from his daughters hair.


	24. Chapter 24

**I have five chapters left after this, I would like to thank everyone who's stuck with the story for so long, I would love to hear what you have to say about this chapter or the story in general, this chapter is from Lisbon's POV, and as usual I own nothing. **

California was perfect, we spent most of our days at the beach, he tried to teach me to surf but it's safe to say I will probably never be any good at it. Days were spent on the pier and eating dinner at classy restaurants that supposedly celebrities ate at. Everything was so incredibly perfect, and then came that last show. Charlie and I watched from backstage as he did his act and conned those poor suckers in the crowd, and then the end of the show came.

"Alright that's almost all the time we have and I know you all remember those two very important announcements I made last week." He stopped for a minute, and then started again with a look that to anyone else may look like sorrow, but to me it just looked like part of his act. "This is in fact my last show." The crowd groaned and many mirrored the sadness portrayed on his face. Then he stopped frowning and broke out into the most sincere smile I have seen yet. "I think you remember my other announcement as well, and in fact my fiancée is here tonight." Oh God I could see where this was going. "Ladies and gentlemen my lovely bride to be, Teresa." I could feel Charlie pulling me onto the stage, "With the assistance of my daughter Charlotte of course." He grinned.

"You son of a …" I started but thought better being as I was suddenly in front of who knows how many people.

"That's the same thing you said a week ago." He grinned, helping Charlie lead me to the center of the stage, "Well ladies and gentlemen I guess she's a little shy why don't you give her a hand." He encouraged and I could feel my face growing an ever darker shade of red.

"Can I get off the stage now?" I begged, as the crowd started cheering.

"And that's all the time we have." Charlie called to the crowd, Patrick grinned at his daughter and waved to the crowd, before turning his attention to me. Then right there in front of all his fans with the camera quite possibly still rolling he pulled me close and started kissing me.

"You son of a bitch." I whispered once he pulled away and I was sure the cameras were off.

"You enjoyed it." He chuckled leading Charlie and I back to his dressing room so he could change out of his glamorous suit and into his usual fitted one.

"Yes I enjoyed being forced onto a stage in front of millions of people." I argued watching him button his vest.

"Well at least there was no complaint in there about the kissing." He chuckled.

"Yeah and what was that about?" I really wanted to shout, but held my voice down.

"What can I say I was giving them a finale worth waiting for." He grinned, reaching for a fresh cup of tea.

"Kissing me was your shows big finale?" I frowned.

"What can I saw, I'm a constant showman." He offered Charlie and I cup as well.

"You're a constant con man." I retorted, "And I still can't believe you're ten year old drinks tea."

"I'm sitting right here." Charlie chipped in, "What are we going to do tonight?"

"Well I was thinking go home and finish up the last of the packing so we can leave bright and early in the morning." Patrick shrugged, "I finished up the paperwork so the house is officially on the market, and the realtor will call me with any potential buyers, so now all that's left is getting us out of here."

"I liked it better when the three of us got ice cream after your show." Charlie pouted.

"We might still have ice cream at home we may however be short on toppings since we haven't really gone to the store all week." Patrick chuckled.

"How about we go home and finish packing, then we go out for ice cream." I suggested.

"That sounds like a plan." Patrick nodded, "What about you kid, that sound like a plan?"

"I guess I can live with that." Charlie grinned.


	25. Chapter 25

**Here is chapter twenty-five I know the chapters have been getting short and slow, but I promise it'll get a bit more interesting soon. So please read and review, this chapter is from Lisbon's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

This flight seemed so much longer, I don't know if it was because we had been up until about two am this morning and the plane left at eight. Or maybe I was dreading having to go back to work, especially after my on screen appearance last night.

Packing last night had taken forever, even though he had most of the furniture shipped a couple days earlier their seemed to be to many things to do. "Hey you haven't asked about what we bought last week." Patrick interrupted my train of thought.

"I assumed that was the ring." I turned to him.

" Even after I told you I brought it with me when I came to visit you." He frowned.

"There were a couple other things going on right then I wasn't to focused on when you got the ring." I retorted.

"Fair enough." He shrugged.

"Wait so what did you buy?" I frowned, turning to him.

"Oh nothing, you'll find out soon enough." He chuckled, turning to check on his daughter.

"No you don't do that you don't bring something up, and then tell me to forget about it." I argued.

"I didn't tell you to forget about it I just told you to wait a little bit longer." He smiled, why did he have to smile, was I every going to build up and immunity to that smile? If I'm honest I sure hoped not.

"You are a cruel and unusual man." I snapped, and he just laughed. Before we knew it the plane had landed and we were taking a cab back to my apartment or at least I thought we were. "Wait you were supposed to turn back there." I worried.

"Ignore her you're going the right way." Patrick smiled, without even looking up from the newspaper he had picked up at the airport.

"This is not the way to my apartment." I argued.

"You're right it's not." He nodded, glancing out the window and folding up the newspaper.

"Where are we going?" I frowned.

"We're here." He smiled as the cab stopped in a nice suburban neighborhood. I stared at the house in front of us, while he hopped out and hurried around to my side of the car. And next thing I knew I was being lifted out of the cab and carried through the front door of the same house I had been staring at. "I always wanted to carry my wife over the threshold of a new house."

"She's not your wife yet." Charlie reminded running in behind us.

"It would be romantic if we didn't have to go back out and get our luggage." I teased, after he set me down.

"I tried to talk Charlie in to carrying it all, but she refused." He shrugged.

"I don't blame her," I stated heading back out to the car.

"Do you like it Teresa?" Charlie asked twenty minutes later as she lead us on a tour of the house.

"I love it." I nodded, "But it's a little big isn't it?"

"I told you that you'd love it." Charlie smiled.

"I can't believe you just went out and bought a house!" I leaned into him, looking around at the furniture he had shipped earlier in the week.

"I was tempted to move your things in to, but I figured you would consider that crossing a line." He smiled, falling backward with me onto the couch that was sitting awkwardly in the hallway.

"How would you have moved my things in?" I wondered, "You were with me all week."

"I would have recruited help, I'm sure Van Pelt would have loved to help." He chuckled.

"You are a truly twisted man." I kissed him, "And my co-workers would not sneak into my house because you told them to."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 is here and it's very short I'm sorry, and the end is near, but I couldn't let things end without something happening, so I would love to hear what you have to say. This chapter is in Lisbon's POV, and as usual I own nothing. **

The wedding was perfect, and so was the honeymoon it was nice being the three of us. Work was weird at first, having him there all of the time, and Van Pelt didn't take to kindly to Patrick's big reveal. Things eventually settled into a sense of normal, I also learned that I had to get used to paperwork having Patrick around.

The first year together was brilliant, and then the second year came and with it my first child. Aiden Thomas Jane was born and Patrick and I had a baby boy, and Charlie was a big sister.

Then the third year brought Patrick and I a baby girl, Madison Avery Jane. It made me realize Patrick knew exactly what he was doing when he bought this gorgeous house. We had a real family and everything was absolutely perfect.

The fourth year was peaceful and in the fifth year Charlie started high school, and then baby boy number two was born Oliver Dylan Jane. However things can only go great for so long.

My team was called to a crime scene where a woman had been slashed up and bleed to death in her apartment. Things were made worse when some of the fingerprints in the apartment matched someone that was already in the database.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 two more after this and then it's all over. So I hope you've enjoyed it thus far, and I hope you enjoy what's to come. This chapter is from Jane's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

"Tell us what happened Angela." I frowned leaning against the side wall while Cho sat across the table from her.

"Wow they let anybody become cops now a days." She laughed avoiding my gaze. "A conman and a gang member." She was smirking at the glass knowing Teresa was on the other side. "Do you think they'd hire me?"

"Angela." I continued to frown, "You know who killed that woman."

"I do, do I?" She questioned, "and how do you figure that, a psychic vision?"

"Damn it Angela, this is serious!" I shouted, "You could go to prison, your fingerprints were all over that crime scene."

"Where's my daughter?" She asked changing the subject.

"Babysitting her brothers and sister." I answered, "You gave up the right to be her mother when you left her without even saying good bye."

"You know when we were kids I always dreamed of marrying you." She shook her head, "Who would have thought we would be so incompatible as adults?"

"Angela we're trying to protect you." I sighed moving to stand by the table.

"Really Patrick are you going to hypnotize him?" She smirked.

"We're trying to protect you." Cho answered.

"The two of you don't know who you're dealing with." She sat back in her chair, "You'll need a whole frickin army to catch this guy."

"I'm sure we could arrange something." I tried, but I knew there was only one thing Angela was going to use as bargaining, and that was the one thing she couldn't have.

"Now Patrick even for you that lie is just a little to big to be convincing." She laughed, "Trust me I'm protecting you by not talking."

"It was never your job to protect me." I answered.

"Well at least let me see my daughter before you send me to prison it's been eleven years." She shrugged.

"You're not hurting her again." I argued.

"Let's be honest Patrick you told her some lie about how I had to go and it wasn't her fault and it wasn't my fault either." She rolled off.

"Oh so you wanted me to tell our four year old daughter you ran off with your gun wielding lover." I snapped, "No offense Cho." I quickly added to my co-worker who just shrugged.

"Not when it comes more naturally for you to just lie about everything." She retorted.

"Well unfortunately for you our daughter's no mark. She may have believed me at first but she realized the truth at far to young of an age." I yelled, "Besides it doesn't matter what I told her, a mother leaving a child's life forever still hurts."

"You're not mad at me for leaving Charlie, you're mad at me for leaving without you." She tried.

"Don't delude yourself.' I laughed, "I got Charlie and myself out on my own terms. I have a small fortune, I share a beautiful home with my amazing wife and Charlie and her three adorable younger siblings. On top of that my job is one hundred percent legal." I informed her, "My anger with you is entirely about the pain you caused our daughter."

"Yelling at me won't get you what you want…officer." She just wanted me mad at her now, I couldn't give her that satisfaction.

"Consultant." I corrected, "And he's an Agent." I smiled, "If you excuse me, we're not getting anywhere with this." I started for the door.

"His name is John." She called, "I'll tell you all you want to know if…"

"If you can see your daughter." I finished with my hand on the door.


	28. Chapter 28

**The end is almost here, this is chapter 28 and this chapter is from Jane's POV as usual I own nothing. **

"Patrick can I talk to you?" Teresa pulled me out of the interrogation room and going to take a seat on my couch. "Are you okay?"

"My daughter is not a bargaining tactic." I warned running my hand through my hair.

"Our daughter, she's our daughter now remember." Teresa's hands finding my own.

"I know I'm sorry." I frowned, "I don't know what it is about Angela we used to get along so well and then Charlie was born and everything turned into a fight with her." I vented, "When she left it destroyed Charlie for months, she couldn't figure out why her mommy would just leave her. I don't want to reopen all of those wounds."

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do." She consoled squeezing my hands in hers. "We can send her to prison I'm sure she'll want to talk eventually."

"Or…" I started, standing up and pulling Teresa with me.

"I hate when you get that look in your eyes. It always means more paperwork for me." She groaned.

"There shouldn't be any extra paperwork." I chuckled walking back into the interrogation room with her on my heels.

"Aww the juries back." Angela remarked watching the two of us pull up a chair.

"Well I had to consult with Charlie's mother. You did realize Teresa legally adopted her after the wedding." I shrugged.

"I figured." She replied, "So do we have a deal?"

"You don't get to see Charlie until after we have this guy in custody." I answered.

"Yeah I'm supposed to believe you." She laughed.

"Would you believe me?" Teresa questioned, catching on to my pretty basic plan.

"Not after you've lived with him for however long." Angela laughed.

"You don't have a choice, if you want to see your daughter it's not happening until your friend is locked up." I replied, "I don't want there to be any chance that this guy could hurt my daughter because her mom made stupid choices with her company."

"What can I say I like criminals, maybe you started that Patrick?" She smiled, how many times was she going to play that card. "Not all of us could find cops to marry." Which was a little ironic since he had been with the Cho who as she had pointed out was a cop.

"If this guy is really as dangerous as you say he is we'll just wait for his next crime." I stated moving to get up. "Have fun in prison, I'm not putting our daughter at risk." Cho and Teresa followed me to the door.

"You'll let another person die?" Angela questioned, as I held the door open for my wife and colleague.

"I'm not a cop." I shrugged, "if it keeps my family safe why would I care about any one else?"

"Alright, come here sit down let's talk." She gave in. She proceeded to give us a name and two possible locations to find him.

"We have to offer you protective custody." Teresa stated, after Angela had told us the basics.

"Yeah, not interested." She smirked, "When do I get to see my daughter?"

"We'll call you when John is in custody." I nodded.

"Good to see you haven't lost your touch Patrick, you played me like a mark." She shook her head, "I'm never going to see Charlie am I?"

"If your information plays out and Charlie agrees I don't see why you can't see her." And I think I actually meant what I said.


	29. Chapter 29

**Alright last chapter everyone. It's pretty short and I'm sorry but I felt like this was a good spot to end it. I'm working on another story right now and I'll have that posted as soon as I can think of a good title. Anyway please enjoy, when I started this story I had no intention of bringing Red John into it but I'm pretty happy with this chapter so please Review and tell me what you think, it's been a couple chapters since I've heard from any of you. This chapter is from Jane's POV and as usual I own nothing. **

I'm pacing, I never pace, pacing is such an obvious tell, I forced myself to sit down on the couch. This was my fault I had played her and now. Now she would never see her daughter again, that was all she had wanted. Things could have gone so much differently. We shouldn't have released her, we should have made her stay in protective custody until we caught him.

Visions of my childhood friend and the mother of my oldest daughter haunted my brain. She lie in a pool of her own blood brutally stabbed with that smiley face dripping on the wall behind her. This was my fault I could have protected her.

"Patrick." Teresa whispered waking me from my own thoughts. "It's not your fault, you couldn't have known."

"She told us he was dangerous and we just let her go." I stated, looking down at my own hands afraid to look my wife in the eyes.

"We offered her protection, and she refused, there was nothing we could have done." Teresa tried again.

"I could have talked her into staying, I could have let her see Charlie. I could have done a lot of things." I frowned wringing my hands.

"You know you don't need to be here let me take you home, tell Charlie what happened." Her hands were making soothing circles on my back. "You're to close to this case."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Why cause I slept with her, why aren't you sending Cho home, he slept with her to."

"Patrick that's not it at all." She frowned, I hadn't meant to snap at her. "We have his name, his address, and hell we have his DNA. It will be a matter of hours before we find him, you need to relax."

"That's not his real name." I stated, "And he's never going back to that address."

"And how do you know that?" She questioned.

"Angie wouldn't have given us anything to important," I sighed, "She gave us just enough to let her go but not enough to find the other guy."

"I suppose that trick was used pretty often at the Carnival." She stated leaning back, and I just shrugged, "Which means if your right all we have is a description and DNA." She announced, "which is still a good lead."

"A white man approximately five nine with dark brown hair." I recited the description back to her. "Are you going to go around and ask every guy that matches that description to give us a sample of their DNA?"

"Okay so it's not a great lead but it it's something." Teresa gave in, "Maybe his DNA is already in the system."

"Maybe." I sighed leaning back on the couch and wrapping my arm around her.

"We will find him." She reassured resting her head on my chest.

"I don't doubt it." I whispered. We were going to catch him. Looking down at my wife and thinking of our four beautiful children back home. It made me think of what I could have become if I didn't have them to keep me grounded. I had a family to go home to and I could only imagine what I would have become if I didn't have them. We would find him and that would have to be enough.


End file.
